How to get a tax rebate inc Tax Code Checker

bevan840

jem16 wrote: »

Do let us know - I'm curious.

DH has spoken to them, and it was because his employer at that time included his 'tips' in his wage slip, so it is in fact correct, dang it!

lesleyvhalifax

i have an tax code of 653L as I have to wear a uniform at work and claim the tax allowance for this but on the tax checker it is telling me it is incorrect, so how can i tell if i am due a rebate as i have recently had 2 jobs

chipz2803

Does this mean by calculation that i am over or under paying on my tax, also i work overtime, would this affect my tax code? please help i am soooo confused? cheers all :j

sickasachip13

My OH's tax codes have fluctuated quite a bit, so when the OT code started this April we didn't bother checking up.....we've just done the tax code checker and realise this is incorrect, he should be on the 647L. HMRC informed and checking up on it.

sp1derwebs

Am trying not to get too excited as could really do with the money but if this is right then I'm about £1400 out of pocket. Am so confused.

Silly question but what do you put in the pre earnings box? reason I ask is that I've had 3 months maternity leave (at statutory benefit only) this year and 6 months the year prior. Therefore my income has been reduced dramatically during those periods. I am in receipt of health insurance at work so realise that the tax code 515L represents that.

Anyone else had periods of mat leave and does this sound like I might be entitled to a rebate? What figure do I put in the earnings box? My actual earnings to date or based on my normal circumstances?

Any help greatly appreciated.

MSE_Martin

BAA1 wrote: »

The tax code checker incorrectly says that :
"Based on ONLY the salary and age you've input,
your personal allowance would be - £9640"

At age 81 the above is the over 75 personal allowance, but the checker is failing to take into account that this allowance reduces based on the total income and is reduced by £1 for every £2 of income above the £22900 limit.

(Note, I entered a code of 287T for 2010-11 for age over 75 and an income of £28900)

Also at this age, the tax code checker should mention that the tax payer should receive a state pension which also effects the tax code.

Also at this age, the tax code checker should mention possible receipt of Married Couples Allowance, which is effected by the income limit too.

In reality, my tax code is correct, but the tax code checker misleads the 75 and over tax payers that their allowance should be approx £9640

Thats understood and we're looking at what we can do to make things even more clear. We had this under detailed testing and tried to make what is a hideously complex subject as clear as possible.

Yet we need to learn from users how best to communicate this. I made sure we wrote that at the top of the guide so we appreciate any feedback.

Most important though is its raising the issue that tax codes may not be right - panorama believes 13m people have the wrong code. If nothing else this should help people check if there's a problem.

We are tweaking the guide all the time to resolve any confusions people report.

jem16

MSE_Martin wrote: »

Im surprised at this

That is exactly what the checker tells you

It first tells you whether it matches

Then if not it gives you a list of reasons that may be the case

In your case you have 'employee benefits' which are on the list - so the checker does its job. Yet for someone in the same scenario who doesn't have employee benefits or something on the list it would indicate a problem.

We have built it as accurately as possible with the info. The aim is the tool to flag a problem.

My main issue was that it doesn't tell you whether you may have overpaid or underpaid tax. The posters that had posted before me used the checker and almost immediately assumed they would be due a rebate and were about to phone HMRC expecting one.

As it turns out neither cases warranted a refund and would only have made an already busy HMRC even busier.

I agree that people should be more aware of their tax codes and know whether they are right or wrong but most people using the checker will jump to the conclusion that their tax code is wrong and they must be due a rebate without reading any further. Reading through today's posts on the Tax board seems to confimr this - there are many confused people.

jem16

bevan840 wrote: »

DH has spoken to them, and it was because his employer at that time included his 'tips' in his wage slip, so it is in fact correct, dang it!

To be honest most of the mistakes that were made recently were due to the introduction of new software that was rushed in without proper testing.

It's unlikely that tax codes going back years where there is one income stream and one tax code would be very wrong.

2010

Glittster wrote: »

Rang HMRC and I was shocked how easy it was to deal with and how simple! Thanks Martin !!!!

Maybe you could give us this magic telephone number that you rang HMRC on and actually got through and actually spoke to someone on.

sickasachip13

Hey 2010,
We got straight through to HMRC (twice) today. I went on their website and looked up the offices, which then had a contact number.
Maybe they've had a sudden rise in calls though ;-)