Are you claiming the correct tax credits?

As reported in the Independent and various media outlets, over €4bn has been refunded by Revenue to taxpayers since 2010.

Tax Relief due on medical expenses, nursing home fees, etc have been claimed but this figure also includes overpayment of Income Tax. In our experience, taxpayers wrongly assume Revenue will inform them if they have overpaid in tax or their credits need to be amended but this is not the case.

Unless you request a P21 balancing statement from Revenue each year and ensure you are claiming the correct credits, you could be overpaying tax every year.

There are numerous tax reliefs available that taxpayers are not aware of and the Revenue have been called on to make people more aware of their entitlements. This is currently done in the UK through TV, Radio and Newspaper campaigns each year.

Only those who submit a claim with Revenue Commissioners will receive their portion of the overpaid taxes sitting on Revenue’s balance sheet. Once 4 years has passed this refund is no longer available. There is still a “fear factor” with Revenue where a lot of individuals are afraid to file a tax return in case they end up with a liability. This is very rarely the case, however if it does happen it is important that such an issue is addressed ASAP, as it could continue to occur going forward. And the aforementioned 4-year time limit, does not apply to Revenue.

“Sure I’m a PAYE worker, my tax is deducted at source”

This is a common response when we advise taxpayers of the importance in filing an annual tax return claim with Revenue. This is true, however over 80% of PAYE taxpayers overpay their taxes by on average €990 every year, and this is only of the people who actually do file returns.

There are usually 3 reasons why individuals overpay their taxes.

1. Payroll Errors – yes, on the most part your tax is calculated correctly on payroll software. However, that software relies entirely on the information inputted by the payroll officer, who in turn relies on information from you, the Revenue Commissioners and the employer. With that much human input involved, you can see how human error could result in an over (or under) payment of Tax, USC or PRSI . It happens
2. Incorrect Allocation of Allowances – whether you are a married couple or a single person with more than one source of income, you have certain rate bands and credits available to you with regards to Tax and USC. In order to ensure you do not overpay tax these allowances should be allocated according to the level of income between spouses and/or different sources of income, subject to Revenue limits. Where these allowances have not been reviewed regularly, more often than not they are allocated incorrectly, which is resulting in overpaid taxes.
3. Claiming your Tax Credits – Revenue put the onus on the individual taxpayer to research, understand and ensure that they are claiming all their entitlements. Below are just some of the reasons why you might be missing out on tax refunds if you are not filing returns, there are many more:

• Marital Status
• Medical Expenses
• Dependent Relatives
• Tuition Fees
• DIRT refunds
• Age Credit
• Home Renovation Incentive
• Pension Contributions
• Income Protection
• Investment Incentives
• Medical Insurance (BIK)
• PRSI refunds once over 66
• USC refunds for over 70’s

Contact us to request our Tax Return Application Form and we can review your taxes for the last 4 years