Do your employees come to you with queries about tax deductions from their wages, information changes and the like? There is a way to reduce this, and help them to take a little more ownership of their payroll information – let us tell you how…
Employees can “self-serve” via Online Personal Tax Accounts. These have been available for all staff being processed through PAYE Schemes since December 2015, and 15 million people are already using this handy service! All Personal Tax Accounts are secure and it’s a really simple way for your employees to manage their tax affairs online.
Many of the frequently asked questions your staff ask you could be answered in their Personal Tax Account. Why not encourage your employees to self-serve online by activating their PTA?
HMRC (and therefore ourselves in the payroll department) can only work from the information that it receives, so if your employees have a change in their financial circumstances or address please encourage them to let us know through their PTA.
Below you will find a list of things that your employees can also do in their Personal Tax Account:
- Print proof of their National Insurance number (great for new employees who need to complete a New Starter Form)
- View and print a copy of their pay and tax details for the last 4 tax years (this can be helpful if applying for mortgage/loan applications or tax credit applications)
- Employees can potentially claim tax relief on business expenses (this could be for things such as cleaning their uniform or replacing their tools)
- They can update the information we hold on the benefits they receive (i.e. a company car or medical cover or gym membership etc.)
- Check their state pension situation (Explore when they can start to receive it and how much they are likely to get etc.)
- Claim a tax repayment; if a customer has received a letter from HMRC advising that they’ve paid too much tax over the course of the year they can claim their rebate online.
- They can view their tax credits information, check their payments, make changes to their circumstances and complete their renewals.
A Personal Tax Account is a really useful tool for employees and can minimise their questions and maximise their knowledge of their own affairs.
If your staff are interested direct them to: www.gov.uk/personal-tax-account to get started!