Desperately need help with tax calculations

[MrsBird03]

Hi there
I've had some issues with work overpaying me, then taking the money back, then giving the money back before finally taking the overpayment.

Each time it looks like i have overpaid tax and NI, the returned payment didnt include tax and ni (i dont think) and then have the final payment out.

I am tearing my hair out trying to do the maths as i think i have lost about 400 pounds in the error. Each time I get a different calculation.

I'm on my own so have no-one else to ask, my brain is mush, CAB said i need to see an accountant but i don't have anything spare at the moment, and HMRC said they could provide the calculation but wont be until October 2024.

If i stand a chance of fighting it, it needs to be before employer financial year end which is in April.

Does anyone have any advice please? Or how I can work out? The salaray calculator online gives different figures to my statements too so I'm utterly bamboozled.

Thank you

I've just had a similar issue.

I've been TUPEd from one employer to another following a merger. The new payroll contractor was daydreaming and put my tax code in wrongly, 1257L instead of BR. I have a pension that uses all of my tax free pay.

The effect was to give me a massive Tax refund resulting in, from a correct perspective, an underpayment of tax.

I never saw the refund as the employer corrected it for me but left HMRC with wrong figures.

It was a mess at the end of October but it's now sorted itself out as HMRC now have the correct year to date figure for tax due/paid.
Are you satisfied that your gross pay to date is right? Whether the employer has treated you fairly in how they've handled it is a different question.

As a starter to finding the answer, do you have a Government Gateway account so that you can see your PAYE records as per HMRC's records?

Do you know what you actual, correct wage should have been? If so, put that into listen to taxman and get the relevant tax, NIC, pension and net payments.

Then check your payslips. If it's different, go back to your payroll department and ask them for a breakdown of the calculation as you can't understand where the figures have come from. They will probably be reluctant to do this, because it's a pain in the arse. Be persistent and say you want a detailed calculation of your gross pay, all deductions and net wages for the period of whatever time. Or do it from 6 April to now and get the full year.

Do you know what your year to date gross should be ?
Do you know your tax code? Has it changed ?
The payroll department should be correcting this through their payroll software!