Job Discussion Forums

[gmjones]

Hi,

If anyone has any concrete information on what I should be getting taxed on I would love to hear from you as I am now totally confused and every time I am back in the UK I get a different response from the inland revenue.

So, Ive been teaching for 7 years, and I go back once a year between teaching contracts to the UK and do a little work. Normally its only up to 3 months and I never earn more than �5000 which is about what my normal tax limit would be in the UK for my age/gender etc. I always send off my P84/85 forms to advise them of dates of entry/exit to the UK.

Normally I have never paid tax on my earnings in these periods, becasue I was told it was my first job in the tax year and therefore I can earn up to my tax code limit without oweing taxes. However last year I was whalloped (dont know if thats how you spell whallop!) with emergency tax which took well over �1000 and when I enquired about it I was told about some world wide tax that is applicable seeing as i have been teaching overseas...

I have never had this taken into account before and am totally confused. In the summer school where I work there are a pile of teachers who have been working there every summer for years and are never taxed... they go back to the country where they normally reside after the summer and continue working there with no financial repersussions.

I have however been led to believe that if I work abroad (Im teaching in Spain) I am not paying sufficient taxes and this will be compensated for when I go back to the UK... however, as I understand emergeny tax is just what they use when they cant confirm a tax code for you and so it sounds like an excuse to me...

Im just getting ready to head back to the UK and am worried about the same thing happening, so anyone with any experience or advice who can tell me anything, Id love to hear from you. Thanks in advance!

Gabrielle

[ktodba]

Don't know about about concrete but as I understand it emergency tax can be reclaimed at the end of the tax year - and backdated for possibly up to 5 years but don't quote me on that. , sorry I can't be specific - fill in a P46 when you return to avoid emergency tax and sort out later exactly what you owe, you'll still be reclaiming but you might be able to live in the meantime. Can't your school give you advice for your situation? The inland revenue tend to like nice pigeon holed matters and this obviously isn't one.