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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think almost £2000 a month in deductions is outrageous.

92 replies

Nataby · 18/04/2011 12:35

First, I am grateful to have a job which I love and enjoy doing during a time when lots of people are loosing their jobs.

I am currently on maternity leave and my kindly employer is paying me 100 percent of my salary for 4 months. I am going back part time at 3 months as I don't want to get used to being at home and resent needing to go back. I gross with this employer 3000 per month, prior to commencing maternity leave, I did some overtime and earned 2450, which was due to be paid this month. I got my payslip today, and note that after deductions, including 130 childcare vouchers, I netted 3300. Now this is a welcome and much needed amount of money, I am just having difficulty with the amount of money taken out of my pay check. AIBU?

OP posts:
sparkle12mar08 · 18/04/2011 12:37

YABU, that's life. Death and taxes, death and taxes.

fluffywhitekittens · 18/04/2011 12:38

Is it because you were on a higher rate of tax for it?

diabolo · 18/04/2011 12:39

A lot of people earning well lose nearly 50% of their pay in tax, car, health benefits etc. though.

It's a right PITA but there you go.

geordieminx · 18/04/2011 12:40

I would cry.

TheCrackFox · 18/04/2011 12:40

It is "losing" not "loosing".

Northernlurker · 18/04/2011 12:41

Yanbu to feel miffed - the amount of tax and NI we all pay is unpleasantly large BUT if you had to pay out of your gross for roads, hospitals, police, defence (though I would happily keep that bit!), local government etc - it would be even worse.

prettyfly1 · 18/04/2011 12:41

I had this with my recent tax return - I ended up with seven hundred pounds out of thousands because of deductions due to working as well. Moral of the story - dont bother with overtime as there is literally no point.

ChateauRouge · 18/04/2011 12:41

Deductions are a standard percentage- you know what will be taken out before it is taken, what are you having difficulty with? If the overtime was over several months, and putting it together causes problems, you can reclaim that tax at a later date, at the end of the tax year.

I assume you have had 9mo pg in which to plan for maternity leave?

Gooseberrybushes · 18/04/2011 12:42

Awful isn't it.

HarrietJones · 18/04/2011 12:42

You will probably find they owe you it back at the end of the year. PAYE will work on you getting that every montg

prettyfly1 · 18/04/2011 12:43

chateau that isnt the case - it is VERY difficult to work out tax codes and deductions once you start to factor in income levels, benefits, time and paye/sa - almost impossible and even the accountants I know are saying if you dont know the system inside out it is virtually impossible to predict.

HecateQueenOfTheNight · 18/04/2011 12:44

that's tax for you. the more you earn, the more you pay. It's a lot of money to take off someone, but how else do we pay for hospitals and schools?

I would want to cry too, because it is a staggering amount of money. But all the country's services are paid for through taxation and those who earn more, pay more.

Still must make you gulp hard when you look at your wageslip, mind.

DaisySteiner · 18/04/2011 12:46

That doesn't sound right, even if they are assuming that you will be paid the same every month. I would phone payroll and ask them to explain it.

Penthesileia · 18/04/2011 12:47

Seems a lot, but they are presumably calculating your gross salary at c.£5500, at which point, £2000 of deductions (tax, NI, pension contributions, childcare vouchers), sounds about right, ie. c. 35%. This is pretty normal.

If you do not usually earn £5500 a month gross, you can claim it back at the end of the tax year. It is unfortunate, I think, for you, that this overtime hit at the beginning of this tax year.

Anyway, I predict this thread is going to kick off. Talking about money like this on MN usually goes very wrong.

PlanetEarth · 18/04/2011 12:49

Well, let's see...

You're on maternity leave, so not currently at work.
While not working you got a monthly net payment of 3300.

I can't see what your problem is!

Penthesileia · 18/04/2011 12:49

For example, I take home 65% of my gross salary, that is, 35% goes in deductions.

DaisySteiner · 18/04/2011 12:50

Looking at the figures again, I still don't think it sounds right just for tax, NI and childcare, but I'm guessing you're also paying into a pension so it may be 'right' on the assumption that you're grossing the same every month. As others have said though, you should get some more back next month when payroll catches up with teh fact that this isn't your normal monthly salary.

stressheaderic · 18/04/2011 12:51

This is why I never look at the 'gross' box on my payslip. I'd be sickened, I know I would!

The minute the test went blue, I saved and saved and saved every single penny. Over 9 months, I had a fair old stash to start mat leave with.

ChickensHaveNoEyebrows · 18/04/2011 12:53

Without fail, DH spends a good five minutes ranting at his payslip every month. I talk in a soothing voice while gently unclenching his fingers and hiding the offending piece of paper in a drawer. Once you don't have to look at it, it hurts less

suzikettles · 18/04/2011 13:00

You gross £3000 per month. That's not your take home pay.

I do sympathise because overtime always nets less than you think it will, but you're making it look worse than it is by comparing gross with net.

i.e. with the way you're putting the figures in your op it looks like you usually get £3000 but, even with all your overtime, are only getting £3300 this month.

I don't know what your take home would be on £3000 gross (in my dreams), but lets say it would be around £2000 - probably a bit less. So actually, you earned £2400 gross in your overtime and got around £1300 in your hand. Hardly a waste of time.

knittedbreast · 18/04/2011 13:04

you only paid this higher amount because all your over time was paid in one month surely? if you had known could you not have asked them to pay it over 12 months so you dont pay even higher tax?

3k a month is quite a good salery by the way! you are very lucky indeed, and if you ever feel the need the swap pay one month, i invite you to swap with me! :)

DuplicitousBitch · 18/04/2011 13:06

does that include deductions for a pension as well?

missymarmite · 18/04/2011 13:07

Can I get a job where you are, Nataby? I only pay £100 pm tax, because I only earn £840 pm. But food, petrol, electricity etc, all costs as much for me as it does for you. So, while I understand your being a bit Shock at the amount you are paying, please understand that there are many of us out there who would love to earn so much and pay so much in tax. Congratulations on the baby, enjoy. Smile

hildathebuilder · 18/04/2011 13:08

If it was a payment in the new tax year, it may well be down to the new method of tax coding. Do you know what tax code you are on, if you don't have one then the new system assumes you get paid that every month, and if you did get paid that every month you would be a 50% tax payer. If that's what has happened you will get it back later

grumpypants · 18/04/2011 13:09

knitted - it's only NI that works/ used to work that way. Over the year you would pay the same tax on 36,000 however it was paif (if PAYE).