The Tax refund company

simplyanna7

Hello, i'm a new user so please bare with me as i'm not used to writing on message board.

I work for Waitrose and a couple pay-check ago we recieved a form on claiming tax refund and how hundreds of successful of partners (as waitrose staff are known) was able to claim money back. So i thought what the heck and i filled in the form online as best to my knowledge.
A couple week later i recieved a letter saying " I have identified a potential claim for you".
To claim this i have to sign a HM revenue & Customs authority form and i also have to send in my P60 or a payslip.
I'm a little nervous sending in my P60 (or payslip) incase it get lost in the post.

This company is The Tax Refund Company, does anyone know of this company? Any advice? It also say on the letter it would take a fee of 40% of every pound recovered, is this a standard thing to do?
I'm now a little nervous and want some advice.

Thank you for your help in advance.

acrleyton

40% seems an awful lot!

Unless you have a second job, or your tax code is incorrect/a BR code, you should be taxed the correct amount on your pay slip so it's perhaps unlikely you have any refund due?

Pennywise

This topic has been covered a lot in other posts in the past. 40% is far too much to pay. You could probably get any tax refund due just by phoning up HMRC and talking to them. It's most likely the refund would be due to claiming allowable costs against your employment income, such as professional subscriptions, fixed expenses (per HMRC scale), uniform laundry, etc.

fengirl_2

This is a complete rip-off. As a worker in the food industry, you are entitled to a fixed rate expense deduction of £60 pa for 08-09 onwards and £45 for 04-05 to 07-08.
You just need to write to your tax office asking them to grant the allowance for each year (assuming you were in that job back to 04/05) and for the current year. You need to ask them for a payable order for past years and a code change for this year.

TM1976

It's likely to be for uniform laundry, the maximum you are likely to get as a refund for this is around £60, although if you get your tax code changed you'll save around £12 per year in future years.

A lot of people express the opinion that this is poor value but I think the 40% rate reflects the fact that you are only due a small amount of tax back and you will probably be paying £24 inc VAT to them, which isn't a lot of money in professional advice terms.

However it also eats up quite a large part of your refund and there are cheaper ways to claim this back.

Contact your HR department and work out exactly what they are claiming for as they will have passed on your details to the Tax Refund Company.

Premier_2

Remember that 60% of something is better than 100% of nothing.

But then again, 100% of something is better than any smaller percentage.

Speak to your fellow partners who have already had a successful reclaim using the company involved, find out what is was for, and see if that situation could apply to you. If it could, make a claim direct to HMRC. If you are entitled to it, you'll get to keep 100% of what you have overpaid in tax.

ceeforcat

I have come across this and similar within the Health Service - AVOID!!

Mikeyorks

simplyanna7 wrote: »

This company is The Tax Refund Company, does anyone know of this company? Any advice?

Well known name on this forum ........ and all sensible advice will tell you to steer clear of them. They propagate their business via kickbacks to Trade Unions who should know better than to promote their service among their members.
If Waitrose is a 'partnership' then your HR Dept should be keen to help you identify which of the standard fixed rate deductions (already agreed by HMRC) and / or laundry allowance you are entitled to ........ without charging you 40%.

Cook_County

Avoid - they appear to be entirely unqualified.

PlutoinCapricorn

No one on MSE has ever had a good word to say about these companies. Teachers and nurses say that it is a disgrace that their unions recommend them.

Whose interest is it in to say that you need the expertise of these companies? It certainly isn't in yours.

simplyanna7

Thank you all soo much for your advice, wow i didn't expect to get such a reponse.

If they are such unrealiable company why would my employee recommend them? Attach a form onto my payslip.
I'm still undecided if i will follow through with this, i also read on their website that you have to request your p60 return to you which is something i don't like. I e-mail them asking if i could send in a photocopy of my p60.

If this company is such a scam, then do you have any other company to recommend where i can get a tax refund?

Thank you once again for your help.