It's near that time of year when your parents/grandparents might need some help in their annual online tax declaration. Please be tolerant, patient and help them calculate medical expenses and submit online information. Likely the fields (medical expenses are not prefilled) are prefilled anyway. But, to some (elderly) people this is a worrying chore. Please give them a hand willingly. It's not difficult and It will be appreciated, believe me!
Your Parents/Grandparents Might Need Help to Complete Annual Tax Claim
- Thread starter Leper
- Start date
Don't want to take your thread off-topic but another cost saving exercise as recommended by Dermot Goode, totalhealthcover.ie is:
The usual standard advice on when you get your renewal to ring up your health insurer, tell them your budget and let them do the work to get you similar cover for a cheaper rate.
Worst thing to do is to auto renew especially on VHI older policies that have been around for many years. Elderly people especially are afraid to change their cover. Younger relatives could possibly review their cover with them over Christmas and often all it takes is one phone call to insurer and discuss cheaper options for similar cover.
The usual standard advice on when you get your renewal to ring up your health insurer, tell them your budget and let them do the work to get you similar cover for a cheaper rate.
Worst thing to do is to auto renew especially on VHI older policies that have been around for many years. Elderly people especially are afraid to change their cover. Younger relatives could possibly review their cover with them over Christmas and often all it takes is one phone call to insurer and discuss cheaper options for similar cover.
Thanks Leper
My elderly mother wants me to figure out if she is paying too much tax. My Dad has a public service pension and now she is getting carers allowance and she thinks the tax is too high - I told her social welfare payments are taxed.
So I presume I need to access the tax credit certificate and make sure they are getting the credits - can you ring Revenue with your PPSN and ask them to check or is it all online. My mother is not tech savvy. Will Revenue only speak to her?
My elderly mother wants me to figure out if she is paying too much tax. My Dad has a public service pension and now she is getting carers allowance and she thinks the tax is too high - I told her social welfare payments are taxed.
So I presume I need to access the tax credit certificate and make sure they are getting the credits - can you ring Revenue with your PPSN and ask them to check or is it all online. My mother is not tech savvy. Will Revenue only speak to her?
Hi @RentingD
1. I'm not a tax advisor in any form, but you can ring Revenue. You'll speak to somebody in a bureau who may promise to pass your message onto the team area from which your parents tax is dealt with and their obligation to reply within a specific time.
2. You could go online with your parents password and review annual tax credits to-date. I think you'll get your information there.
3. Guesswork:- There's a good chance that your parents haven't completed a tax claim in years. If that is the case now would be a good time to re-start.
4. I started two threads like this some years ago and got some positive reaction from some people who know me. I'm involved in a Walking Group and also have a GAA role. I meet people all the time who have not filled their tax claims in years. This can grow into a mountainous worry for them especially when they don't know how to access Revenue online never mind filling in the information required.
5. For anybody looking in I'd advise that you start a simple spreadsheet and update it every month with your medical expenses. "Suddenly," at the end of December you know what you spent and you're not asking the Pharmacy for a printout of the previous years spend and you're not trying to find the shoebox in which you put some of your medical bills.
1. I'm not a tax advisor in any form, but you can ring Revenue. You'll speak to somebody in a bureau who may promise to pass your message onto the team area from which your parents tax is dealt with and their obligation to reply within a specific time.
2. You could go online with your parents password and review annual tax credits to-date. I think you'll get your information there.
3. Guesswork:- There's a good chance that your parents haven't completed a tax claim in years. If that is the case now would be a good time to re-start.
4. I started two threads like this some years ago and got some positive reaction from some people who know me. I'm involved in a Walking Group and also have a GAA role. I meet people all the time who have not filled their tax claims in years. This can grow into a mountainous worry for them especially when they don't know how to access Revenue online never mind filling in the information required.
5. For anybody looking in I'd advise that you start a simple spreadsheet and update it every month with your medical expenses. "Suddenly," at the end of December you know what you spent and you're not asking the Pharmacy for a printout of the previous years spend and you're not trying to find the shoebox in which you put some of your medical bills.
On top of this, take a photo of your receipts as soon as you receive them. If you have Google Photos or similar on your smartphone you can search "Receipts" at the end of the year.
@RentingD - the easiest way is for you to set them up on the MyAccount portal (assuming they don’t have material non-PAYE or social welfare income, which would mean registering for ROS). Almost everything you’d need to know is there and any queries can be submitted on the MyEnquiries section. I have rung Revenue on behalf of my parents in the past but unless they were sitting beside me to authorise them to speak to me they wouldn’t give me any information.
Through my parents MyEnquires I have submitted a request to by able to manage their account. I provide my name and PPS details. Have done likewise with young adult children just learning there is a real world out there. Seems to work for revenue..(ie they are happy to discuss over the phone) .
You mean that's all that's needed to take control of someone's tax affairs? Wow! Seems like very lax security on the part of Revenue if that's actually the case.
Sorry @ClubMan, but if Revenue is being helpful in any query about my siblings, I'm prepared to "risk" that some Russian techno genius is trying to gather something from a simple tax query. There are so many rules & regulations regarding the least queries about anything. In early December I contacted a guy I know in Eir about a minor internet issue. He quoted me something from GDPR (or whatever) that he could not isolate my query and instructed me to ring 1191 where an announcement said there were sixty-five minutes of waiting time for me and would I like to leave a message on which somebody would ring me later. This GDPR caper is an "out" for many dossers as far as I'm concerned.
Blythe Spirit
New Member
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This is one I've helped my parents with - reduced rates of USC - when income under 60k & over age 70 or have a full medical card.
Revenue helpfully have a preliminary statement available on My Account but the tax return needs to be submitted to get the refund. In fairness to Revenue, they've no way of knowing at the start of the year that someone's income will be under 60k.
Sorry can't include link.
Revenue helpfully have a preliminary statement available on My Account but the tax return needs to be submitted to get the refund. In fairness to Revenue, they've no way of knowing at the start of the year that someone's income will be under 60k.
Sorry can't include link.
I don't know what you're on about. I never mentioned anything like this. And I don't know how your dealings work with Eir are relevant to this thread to be honest.
relax carry on
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Revenue have a legal responsibility to protect taxpayer information under section 851A of the TCA. Revenue shouldn't provide any taxpayer information to you for anyone regardless of the relationship to you unless you are authorised to access their records. This includes your children.
Unintentionally, I seemed to have raised a couple of hackles, which was not my intention. As far as I'm concerned government departments (state and semi state + public service) are there for the benefit of the public. The system worked well thirty years ago; your phone was out of order, you rang 1191 or 10 and suddenly your fault was reported. It's the same with Revenue or Soc Welfare, you ring now and before you speak to anybody you have to listen to about ten minutes of "Your call is important to us . . . .Press 1 for this, Press 2 for that, Press 3 for whatever, Press 4 for something else. Grand it it's only one call you're making. But, sometimes you have to check something or other and again you have to wait through a process that would try the patience of Job. This GDPR is a smokescreen for getting on the customer's nerves or something. I see nothing wrong with any CS/PS official speaking to a caller and making an executive decision that the contact is bona fide. It's time for our CS/PS to step up to the mark and get on with the job they're paid to do.
Please Note:- I'm not trying to offend anyone here.
Please Note:- I'm not trying to offend anyone here.
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Just a Gentle Reminder:-
1. If you feel like assisting your grandparents or parents in their annual online tax claim now would be a good time. Usually, it's not an onerous task and it will be greatly appreciated.
2. Medical Expenses are the main add-ons. The annual amount due is acceptable to Revenue and receipts should be kept for 7 years in case Revenue wish to inspect them.
3. Be patient and remember it's usually not an onerous task. [I did Mrs Lep's and my declaration some days ago, the entire process took 12 minutes].
4. Your pharmacy might inform you that you can get a print-out of your prescriptions at the end of the year. You can. But, I feel you should get a copy of what you paid for your prescriptions on each visit to the pharmacy. You can then keep note of what you're paying by simple addition. Add in your Medical Consultant's bills etc as you visit and suddenly on 2nd January 2026 you're ready to submit your annual tax claim without worry.
1. If you feel like assisting your grandparents or parents in their annual online tax claim now would be a good time. Usually, it's not an onerous task and it will be greatly appreciated.
2. Medical Expenses are the main add-ons. The annual amount due is acceptable to Revenue and receipts should be kept for 7 years in case Revenue wish to inspect them.
3. Be patient and remember it's usually not an onerous task. [I did Mrs Lep's and my declaration some days ago, the entire process took 12 minutes].
4. Your pharmacy might inform you that you can get a print-out of your prescriptions at the end of the year. You can. But, I feel you should get a copy of what you paid for your prescriptions on each visit to the pharmacy. You can then keep note of what you're paying by simple addition. Add in your Medical Consultant's bills etc as you visit and suddenly on 2nd January 2026 you're ready to submit your annual tax claim without worry.
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