Tax Refund

Hi everyone,

As my username suggests I really have no idea about taxation, hence my question.

I seperated in mid 2010. We would have been jointly assessed up to 2012 however I didn't realise we weren't allowed to be until this year where I was put on to single persons credit and told to claim one parent tax credit for the previous 2 years and going forward.

So I filled in the form, attached statements from my employer as I was asked to do and sent it off. My best hope was that my credits go up and I get paid more and maybe a small refund for earlier this year due to not having claimed this credit.

Yesterday I received a number of statements from revenue ... for 2009, 2010, 2011. There were various calculations on them in relation to the years mentioned and in particular 2010 where circumstances changed etc.

The upshot is that in 2000 and 2011 I underpaid tax so owed them. This was offset against 2010 where I seem to have overpaid by a large amount. The tax owed was offset against the tax overpaid and I got two cheques. One for the first half of 2010 and another for the 2nd.

It seems to make sense, but having heard of people getting letters a few weeks later to say sorry we made a mistake, I am wondering if it actually is a mistake.

Sorry this got so long, any advice? I really don't want to celebrate or spend it if I owe it back (some of it will also be owed to my ex).

Thanks xxx

Are there any legally-enforceable maintenance payments being paid in your situation?

Hi DB,

No there are no legally enforceable maintenance payments. I pay maintenance as per an agreement at mediation.

x

Oh right. The maintenance doesn't necessarily have to set by a court, it just has to be legally enforceable

I ask this because a separated couple can opt to remain taxed jointly where

1. There are legally enforceable maintenance payments
and
2. They are both resident in the State

Thanks, Revenue told me that unless we had a legal seperation that we could not be jointly assessed.

But if you're not legally separated then there should be no question of being assessed separately. You should still be entitled to be assessed jointly.

Well they say I can't be. I got sent a whole list of questions I had to answer about it and they said we are not entitled to be assessed jointly. Initially I had been told we could be but when I waited forever for my credits to change back to joint assessment I phoned them and the girl said I had been given the wrong information and unless I could provide the legal seperation we couldn't. Which seems completely bizzare to me as surely its the opposite. But she was adamant which is why I claimed single parents tax credit.

Brendan asked me to do a key post on this subject last year. Here it is. All info came from Revenue's guides, mostly IT3.

It wouldn't be the first time the Revenue employee you spoke to hadn't been adequately trained

It may be best to approach an accountant to get proper advice.

If you have any queries post them here and we'll try and help.

Sybil

Thanks Mrs Vimes, I will have a look there.