Do we need to filling out tax returns????

tamarabclat

First of all - am REALLY clueless about tax issues, however, my question is:

Who needs to fill in tax returns? We never have :-[

My husband is a hospital Dr, and I stay at home with our daughter. I want to know if we can claim tax relief (or something like that :-[ :-[) from the many societies my husband has to be a member of to practice, as they add up to over a thousand pounds a year.

They are :-
GMC
BMA (union)
MDU (defence union)
2 royal colleges

Please could someone advise me on what to do.

Many thanks

johnllew

If your husband is an employee and all his income is taxed at source, he may well not have to complete a return. If he pays tax at the higher rate and has investment income taxed at 20%, he should notify his tax office; they might include an adjustment in his code to collect the additional tax rather than have him complete a return.

If you have no taxable income, it might make sense for your husband to put any investments in your name so you may avoid tax on your investment income.

He may claim tax relief on certain subscriptions; here's a list of allowable payments, look under "Medical".

Tim_L

As a rule, you start receiving self assessment forms when either you hit the 40% tax bracket, or you come to the attention of the IR for some other reason (generally because there's something odd about your status). They do, I think, pick some people out at random to do self assessment.

It's not in their interest to process tax returns from the large number of people on PAYE at standard rate and with UK based savings accounts that deduct standard rate interest at source.

Before I was was put onto self assessment, I found the local office very helpful indeed when dealing with odd allowances (BUPA, was one) - they issued a new tax code very quickly to take this into account. I've a suspicion that the level of expenses your husband wishes to claim back for will put him into a category where the IR may wish to put him onto self assessment, but this isn't a particularly big deal - the form is relatively simple (no, really!) and for people with "normal" circumstances you can sort it out in an hour or two.

drpachu

Yes you will stand to gain if you can mange to do a self assessment.
although it is not mandatory,i did receive a taxform[once u receive you are bound by law to return!]which iwas told as "random"pick up..
i myself work as ahospital doctor and found several grey areas with respecct to sunscriptions.GMC being one.strictly when my colleague callled gMC he was told that only after 3years of full reg one can claim tax benfit..
others ie MDU,BMa,study materilas,equipments purchase can be shown as tax free expenses
cheers