Child Benefit & Self Assessment - where to add pension contributions?!

[shojam13]

Hi all, I did do a search but couldn't find the right answer. I am, for the very first time, doing a self assessment due to this bl**dy Child Benefit Tax Charge. My earnings last year were about £57k, but I paid £6,700 into my pension. From what I understand, this makes me 'adjusted net income' just over £50k and so the amount I have to repay shouldn't be that high.

I've gone through the entire form but couldn't find anywhere to add my pension contributions and so when it's gone to the page calculating what I owe, it says £1,400 which seems off to me.

Any ideas / help much appreciated, I've never done this form before and it's doing my head in a bit!!!!

I think you put in the pay minus pension contributions to start with?

Yes put in minus the contributions to start off!! They don’t do any adjustments or calculations for you so the figure they see is one which they assume is after contributions!!

I have done mine today and the expenses/outgoings section explicitly excluded pension contributions. But it had pre-populated my income from my P60 and that was lower than my actual income, so I assumed that was net of pension?

How many DC do you have? I have had to pay the full 1099 back for one child because I’m over the 60K regardless of pension, but unless you have a Rees-Mogg sized family, if you really are well under 60K your 1400 doesn’t sound right. Could you have underpaid on something else along the way?

It all depends on whether you pay pension payments to a private pension scheme or whether it’s deducted from your gross wages and paid directly by your employer.

Either way, you need to enter taxable pay and tax deducted as per your P60 form without any adjustment otherwise HMRC will amend the return back to the figures as per P60.