Claiming tax back

Hi folk's
I have heard that the normal PAYE worker can claim tax back on numerous things from Bins to Medical expenses.

Is there a list of things we can claim tax back on ?
I am sure we are not availing of half the benefits owed to us !!

Re: Claming tax back

Try and get a copy of last sunday's business post. It is well covered in it.

Re: Claming tax back

I usually claim for rent, refuse, medical expenses and tuition fees (only applies to certain colleges). Check out www.revenue.ie for more info

Re: Claming tax back

As a rule of thumb, I think the revenue will generally give tax rebates at the lower (20%) rate on prescribed items - check out their webiste, it is pretty comprehensive. Try get the email address of the area tyou're allocated to - getting through on the phone is a night mare.

Some expenses also have an excess, for example with medical expenses you're expected to cover the first €125 as a single person (€250 married), the reset is claimable at 20%. I've had rebates for glasses, they will give you a rebate for sight testing and some toawrds the lenses / frames (not much, but it's nice to get something back after paying all those taxes). They don't cover everything, so check out their website.

I've found the revenue pretty good for college fee refunds (they cover all colleges within the EU, the latest rebate was from a course I'm doing by distance learning in the UK). I've done a few here as well and generally had a cheque within a few weeks of claiming. Form IT31 is used for this, avaiable for revenue website.

Re: Claming tax back

Some expenses also have an excess, for example with medical expenses you're expected to cover the first €125 as a single person (€250 married), the reset is claimable at 20%.

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It is claimable at your marginal rate i.e. if you pay tax at 42% you will get tax relief at 42%

See this thread for more common credits/reliefs that apply in the case of many PAYE workers.

Re: Claming tax back

quinno said:

Some expenses also have an excess, for example with medical expenses you're expected to cover the first €125 as a single person (€250 married),

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Not entirely true, it is EUR 125 per person and EUR 250 for more than one person. A married couple can put a claim for only one person and deduct EUR 125 not EUR 250 which only apply if you are claiming for yourself and a dependant or more

OK, that looks right - no expert here, but my wife is claiming back on forms Med 1 & Med 2 (available from revenue website) for medical expenses in 2005. They state verbatim from Med 1:

"The first €125 of health expenses incurred by an individual. The figure is increased to €250 where incurred by two or more people" so that clears that up.

I have also received a tax claim back on fees for a course I'm doing. Course fees €3130 x 20% = €623. That's the value of the cheque revenue sent me back, if it's 42% then I'll be even happier!!

[broken link removed] is only at standard rate (20%) I'm afraid.

Thanks Clubman, that's what I thought (I would say the revenue rarely get these things wrong!!)

Re: Claming tax back

quinno said:

I've had rebates for glasses, they will give you a rebate for sight testing and some toawrds the lenses / frames (not much, but it's nice to get something back after paying all those taxes).

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This is not a tax refund, but an allowance from DSFA available to anybody who has had sufficent PRSI contributions. Its claimable every 2 years and is approximately €25 for the sight test and €45 for the glasses. Because it is based of PRSI contributions rather than tax paid, it is claimable even if someone is a low earner and pays very little or no tax.