Child Benefit and Tax Returns/Self Assessment

[crackerjack00]

Hi, hoping someone can help.

If someone's salary is between 50-60k a year, but they take maternity leave then return part time meaning they never actually earn over £50k in any tax year, do they still have to fill in a self assessment for the tax office due to receiving child benefit?

Any links to anything definitive (and official!) on line would be really helpful - I can't find anything!

Many thanks for any help.

If you are looking at 2013-14 , which is due now , if you received cb payments and actually earned over 50k during that period you should file one, although it would only be to repay a max of 3 month's worth as that is when the rules changed. Call HMRC , easier said than done atm, and register to complete one online by end Jan. If you earned less than 50k and were taxed under paye you may decide not to but if you took ml during the year you may be due a tax rebate which you could claim by doing one.

and bear in mind that it also applies if dh/dp in the household earns over the threshold.

If you've registered for self assessment, yes.

Thought the 13/14 tax year was a full years worth of potential CB to repay?

Didn't it only come into effect in Jan 2014, or am I misremembering?

It came into effect in Jan 2013. 2013 - 2014 was the first full tax year for the high income CB charge. I know as just paid it!

Thanks all. So, just to be clear. They would need to have earned over £50k and have been in receipt of child benefit during the Apr 6th 2013 to Apr 5th 2014 in order to need to do a tax return this time round?

That's right cracker, but also remember that pension contributions will reduce your taxable pay, so it is only if the taxable pay figure on your p60 is over 50k.

Thank you!

Sorry lost track of dates! If you and/or dp/h did a SA return last year they will be expected to do one again this unless you speak to Hmrc and agree it is not necessary. Don't just not submit one as you could be liable to a fine. If you've never done one you needn't worry.

check if your pension contributions have basic rate tax relief. If they do, you can claim the tax relief difference to HRT.
Also, keep track of all "Gift Aid" payments you make, as HR taxpayers can claim 20% on those. We actually ended up better off after doing a tax return this year!

Oh LIZS you had my heart in my mouth there as i thought we weren't going to have to pay it all back!! Bummer! Anyone know which month you have to pay it back in?
As an off topic I am still grumpy that househlds with two earners getting 100k pa get to keep their benefit when only one earner in this house and we lose it all at 60k. Ok so i know we are lucky one of us gets a decent salary, but it still rankles...

window my understanding is if you are PAYE then you don't have to pay it back as a lump sum- your tax code gets adjusted the following year so you pay more tax each month. But I assume you can pay it all at once if you want to. Something like that.

As I found to my horror when completing my tax return last week, it only forms part of your tax code for the next year if you file the form before 31 December. Otherwise you have to pay it all by the end of January. I was pretty annoyed with myself when I found that out and have vowed to do this year's on receipt of my p60!