Tax Office Mistake: Fortnightly Paid in 53 week year.

Just a heads up for anyone after filling in a Form 11/12 for last year.

I'm PAYE only and 2009 for me was 53 fortnightly pay checks indicated at the top of your P60. This only happens every few years.

I filled in my form and got a tax bill for €300.

I queried it and then the tax office realised their mistake.

My company had paid the tax for 53 fortnights for me but the tax office felt I got away with one fortnight and hit me with a taxbill for the 53rd.

I'm sure I'm not the only one.
Rgrds J.

If you are fortnightly paid you can have 27 fortnights (54 Weeks), rather than the normal 26. Revenues computer systems cannot handel this, or 14 4 weekly (56 Weeks) periods etc. Only 53 Weeks, which is indicated by a flag on the P35 return and your P60. So you will always have to watchout if they recalculate your tax (PAYE) for the year. Their system will use 52 weeks or 53 if the 'Week 53' flag is set. They also cannot handle multiple employments in the same year with the same employer. A 'bug' they told we they were going to fix when they introduced their new Year 2000 complient computer system...

I received a balancing statement for 2009 (after submitting Med 1 form) and was advised I owed about €350, but that it wasn't being collected at this time. About 2 months later I got a 2nd balancing statement telling me I owed them €55! I guess it was down to the week 53 /fortnight 27 situation. Didn't help that my employer forgot to flag the P60s either!

Watch Panorama Now.

I know it's the UK but I just posted this issue last night on "tax office mistake". We're owed a fortune and it's no mistake.