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UK Tax FAQs
For Construction Workers
Before you strap on your hard hat and get stuck into work in the UK, you need to make sure you've got all the registrations and requirements you need to work safely and get paid correctly on construction sites in the UK.
You will need to get your CSCS health and safety test and card, and your CIS registration. If you're new to the UK, you will also need a National Insurance Number, bank account and UK driver's licence.
Taxback.com can file your tax return and claim back overpaid tax and work-related expenses for you.
- The average tax refunds we get for our UK clients are £963 for PAYE workers and £1253 for self-employed.
Try our FREE online refund calculator to see how much tax you could get back.
How do I know if I'm PAYE or Self-Employed?
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If you work in construction in the UK, you can be either an employee (PAYE) or self-employed – depending on the terms and conditions of your employment.
If you work for someone else in the UK, it is important to know whether you are working for that person in an employed capacity or in a self-employed capacity such as an independent contractor or subcontractor. If you are employing other people, it is your responsibility to correctly determine their employment status too.
Usually it will be easy to decide whether you are an employee or self-employed. If you answer ‘yes' to the following questions, you are probably an employee/PAYE worker:
- Do you have a contract of employment between you and a company?
- Do you work in a specific role, for specific tasks, during specific hours and with a specific manager?
- Does your ‘employer' pay you weekly or monthly and deduct income tax from your earnings before they pay you?
- Are you entitled to/do you receive payslips?
- Do you have specific targets?
- Do you receive bonuses?
- Are you paid overtime for extra hours worked?
If you answer ‘yes' to the following questions you are probably self-employed:
- Do you run your own business and take responsibility for its success or failure?
- Do you fulfill short-term contracts for specific periods of time or a specific body of work?
- Can you hire someone to do work for you or help you at your own expense?
- Do you risk your own money?
- Can you decide how, when and where you work?
- Do you provide the main items of equipment you need to do your job?
- Do you regularly work for a number of different people?
- Do you have a contract for services?
- Do you issue an invoice for your services to receive payment?
What is PAYE?
The Pay as You Earn (PAYE) system means that tax is deducted from your earnings by your employer and paid to HM Revenue and Customs. The rate at which tax is paid depends on how much you earn.
Visit our PAYE Standard Worker in the UK section for more information.
What is Self-Employed?
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If you're self-employed in the UK, you are responsible for your own tax and National Insurance contributions. This means:
- You must register with Inland Revenue as self-employed
- You must file a self-assessment tax return each year and declare all your income
- You must pay tax on the profits you make during the tax year
- You must pay Class 2 and Class 4 National Insurance contributions
If you want to work as self-employed in the UK, you need to register as self-employed with HM Revenue and Customs.
For more information, visit our self-employed in the UK section.
What is the CSCS test and card?
Anyone who works on a construction site or who needs access to a construction site in the UK – such as bricklayers, carpenters, scaffolders and fabricators – needs to have a health and safety pass known as a CSCS Card.
The CSCS (Construction Skills Certification Scheme) is designed to prove that the holder of the card is both competent and safe to work in the construction industry.
The CSCS Card means your skills and qualifications will be recognised by UK employers and it will give you a better chance at employment in construction in the UK.
How can I sit the CSCS test and get my CSCS card?
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Taxback.com can organise for you to sit the CSCS test and obtain your CSCS card for you.
We have a CSCS training and test centre which runs health and safety tests five times a day, with Saturday appointments available. The 45-minute test covers questions relating to your day-to-day job on a construction site as well as specific health and safety procedures. You will receive your registration certificate the same day you pass the test.
We can also obtain your CSCS card for you. To get your card, we'll need your National Insurance Number and a passport-sized photograph of you.
We charge £45 for our CSCS test service and £80 for a CSCS test and card pack.
Passing the CSCS health and safety test will give you a short-term one-year certificate that will allow you to go on a construction site and work. If you intend on working in construction long-term in the UK, you will need to get a CSCS Card.
I'm a subcontractor – how can I get my CIS Registration?
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The Construction Industry Scheme (CIS) sets out the rules for how payments to subcontractors for construction work must be handled by contractors and other businesses. To work in construction all subcontractors need to be CIS registered and have a UTR number, which must be provided to all contractors.
Taxback.com can organise your CIS registration and UTR number. We charge £35 for this service and it will take about six weeks if you are not already registered as self-employed in the UK. If you are registered as self-employed it will only take a few days.
What is a UTR number?
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The UTR (Unique Taxpayer Reference) is the unique reference number under which a person is registered as self-employed in the UK and you cannot work as a self-employed person - such as a construction subcontractor - without one. You'll get a UTR when you get your CIS registration. If you're self-employed, we'll need your UTR to claim your UK tax rebate.
What is self-employment registration?
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To work as self-employed in the UK you have to register as self-employed with HMRC. If you do not register within the first three months of self-employment you may have to pay a penalty of £100. If you do not register and are not paying tax, you are breaking the law and could face further penalties.
Taxback.com can help you register as self-employed and ensure you have the right information to know what tax you need to pay and when. We charge £20 for this service. Apply online for your self-employment registration today.
When can I get my tax back?
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The UK tax year is from April 6th until April 5th of the following year and you have up to six years to claim any overpaid UK tax. The 2008 tax year started on April 6th 2008.
2008 UK tax refunds: If you work in the UK during the 2008 tax year we can file your tax return once the tax year ends on April 6th 2009. If you're only working in the UK temporarily and leave before the tax year ends in April 2009, we will be able to apply for your tax refund straight away. Make sure you keep all your documents so we can get your tax back as fast as possible when the time comes.
2002 - 2007 UK tax refunds: If you've worked in the UK between 2002 and April 5th 2008 (when the 2007 tax year ended), we can apply to get your tax back now so apply for your UK tax refund today.
Use our FREE online tax refund calculator to see how much tax you could get back.
How much money will I get back?
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Taxback.com will get you back as much overpaid UK tax as is legally possible. That amount depends on factors like:
- Your earnings
- Your expenses
- Whether you worked the whole tax year
- If you had more than one job at a time or changed jobs
- Whether you have children
- If your circumstances changed, eg: you became self-employed
- If you took a break during or between employments
The average refunds we get for our clients are £963 for PAYE and £1453 for self-employed customers.
Try our FREE online tax refund estimator to see how much cash you could get back.
Do I have to file a tax return?
If you're self-employed in the UK you have to file an annual tax return called a self-assessment tax return. You are required to give details of your earnings and any other income you get and this information will be used to work out how much tax you have to pay.
The tax office will automatically send you a self-assessment tax return each year in April, when the tax year ends and if you receive one you must fill it out even if you don't think you need to. If you send your completed return back by September 30, the tax office will work out your tax bill for you. If you don't send it back until after January 31 of the following year, you will have to pay a penalty.
NOTE: Even if you only worked for part of the year as self-employed, and were PAYE for the rest of the time, you will still need to file your tax return as a self-employed person through a self-assessment tax return. Visit our self-employed in the UK section for more information in self-assessment.
Can I claim expenses?
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Yes, if you are self-employed in the UK you can claim back work-related expenses. Expenses can significantly increase your refund and are a vital part of your tax return. Many people forget to include this information and leave thousands of pounds unclaimed.
We can claim back money on many of your work-related expenses including:
- Work tools
- Protective clothing
- Buying machinery
- Repair and maintenance of work equipment
- Work-related insurance
- Public transport costs
- Lodgings (when working away from home)
- Business miles (using your own vehicle for work purposes)
To claim back your expenses we'll need your receipts and records of your income and expenditure. Make sure you fill out the Declaration of Earnings/Tax and Expenses in our UK TaxPack. Apply to get your UK tax and expenses back today.
How does taxback.com work?
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Here's how our easy three-step service works:
- Register online or use our FREE tax refund calculator and then download the UK tax forms.
- Send us your documents and signed forms. We'll estimate your refund and give you an online tax tracking account. If you're missing any documents we can get replacements for you.
- Chill out while we file your tax return and get you the maximum possible legal refund.
What are the advantages of using taxback.com?
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Thousands of people choose our service because:
We get you the maximum legal refund- FREE online refund estimations
- Every customer gets a Personal Online Tracking Account – you can follow your tax return every step of the way
- All our tax returns are legal and compliant with UK tax law.
- Document retrieval service
- 24-hour customer support and tax refund help
- Free phone, free fax, free online tax help with our live chat!
- No language barriers - our services are available in: Bulgarian, Chinese, Chinese-Taiwanese, Croatian, Czech, Dutch, English, French, German, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Latvian, Lithuanian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Slovak, Spanish, Thai, Turkish, and Ukrainian.
- Money sent worldwide and in your local currency. You can get your refund in: Australian Dollars, Brazilian Reals, Bulgarian Lev, Canadian Dollars, Czech Koruna, Euro, Hong Kong Dollar, Indonesian Rupiah, Japanese Yen, Latvian Lat, Lithuanian Litas, Moldovan Lei, New Zealand Dollars, Norwegian Krona, Pakistan Rupee, Peruvian Nuevo Soles, Philippine Peso, Polish Zloty, Romanian Lei, Russian Rubles, Singaporean Dollar, Slovak Koruna, South African Rands, South Korean Won, Swedish Krona, Thai Baht, Turkish Lira, UK Pounds, Ukrainian Hryvna, US Dollars.
Can I get tax credits?
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Tax credits are payments from the government to help with everyday costs. A tax credit isn't tax and it isn't deducted from your tax bill – it's money that you receive regularly and you can get it even if you don't pay tax.
The tax credit payments you receive are based on your current personal circumstances and your income during the tax year.
If you're responsible for at least one child or young person who normally lives with you, you may be eligible for Child Tax Credit. If you work, but earn low wages, you may be eligible for Working Tax Credit. The amount of tax credits you receive depends on things like your income, how many children or qualifying young people live with you, and if any child or young person is disabled.
Taxback.com can assist EU members to claim tax credits in the UK. For this service we charge £50 and to apply for your tax credits we'll need:
- Your National Insurance Number
- Your UK bank account
- Original child birth certificates
- Your P60 or if you're self-employed your tax return
It usually takes about six to eight weeks for this application to be processed. Apply online for your tax credits today.
Can I get Child Benefits?
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Child Benefit is a monthly tax-free payment made to anyone bringing up a child or young person. To qualify for Child Benefit you do not need to be the parent of the child or young person but you must be responsible for them. If the child does not live with you, you can only get Child Benefit if:
- You pay money to bring up the child
- The amount you pay is the same as or more than the weekly rate of Child Benefit
- The person they are living with is not getting Child Benefit for them.
If you've recently arrived in the UK you can qualify for Child Benefit if you and the child or children you are responsible for usually live in the UK. This means that your main home is in the UK or you have chosen to live and settle in the UK for the time being.
Child Benefit for the 2007-2008 tax year is £18.10 per week for the eldest child and £12.10 per week for each additional child.
Taxback.com can assist EU members to claim Child Benefit in the UK and it usually takes about four to six weeks. We charge £50 for this service.
To claim child benefits for you we'll need:
- Your National Insurance Number
- Your UK bank account
- Original Child Birth Certificates
How long will it take to receive my UK tax refund? Where's my refund?
As soon as we have it, you'll have it, because we contact you immediately when we receive your refund from the tax office to organise the easiest way to get it to you.
You can watch the step-by-step progress of your application on your online account. It'll go something like this:
When we receive your documents it takes us just 1-3 working days to get your UK tax return ready. This includes:
- Receiving and checking the documents
- Estimating your refund
- Completing your forms
- Sending them to the tax office
Once at the tax office your application takes about 8-12 weeks to process, depending on how busy they are. Our tax team will keep chasing the tax office to see how your application is progressing.
As soon as the tax office sends us your refund, we'll contact you to sort out the best way to get your cash straight to you.
The total estimated time for your UK tax rebate is 8-12 weeks.
How much will it cost?
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First of all, our FREE Online Tax Estimation costs you nothing - just a few minutes to fill it out. We'll email your refund estimation straight to your personal email with no obligation to use our service.
When you send us your documents and signed forms, we'll evaluate your refund and what additional services you need such as document retrieval. Then we'll let you know how much it will cost to file your return for you.
For UK tax refunds we charge from 11% + VAT of the refund received, subject to a minimum processing fee of £50.
Why the minimum fee?
This fee covers all the things that make filing your application with us so easy, such as:
- Customer support 24/7 by phone and Live Chat
- Online tracking service – in seven languages
- Free phone and free fax
- Local staff to meet you and guide you through the process in 18 offices worldwide
- Tax technicians
- Researchers to identify new legal developments to maximise your refunds
- Quality team
I lost my documents/I never got my documents – what do I do?
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We know it's easy to lose documents or to not even receive them in the first place. That's why we have a dedicated document retrieval team who deal with employers all over the world and can organise replacement documents for you.
What is a P45?
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To claim your UK tax rebate, we need your P45 or your P60. A P45 is the official tax form that you get from your employer when you finish working for them. It outlines your earnings and the amount of taxes that you paid for that employer. If you leave your job to start another one, you'll need to give your P45 to your next employer so make sure you keep a copy for yourself.
If you've misplaced your P45 or you never received it, our document retrieval team can obtain one for you.
What is a P60?
We need your P60 or your P45 from each of your employers to claim your UK tax refund. A P60 is the tax certificate you receive from your employer at the end of each tax year in April. It shows all your earnings and tax you paid in that tax year.
If you've misplaced your P60 or you never received it, our document retrieval team can obtain one for you.
What is a National Insurance Number (NIN)?
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Your National Insurance Number (NIN) is the unique number allocated to you by the Department for Work and Pension in the UK. It allows you to work, pay taxes and access public services in the UK.
If you're new to the UK, you'll need to get an NIN. You'll use your NIN in all your correspondence with HM Revenue and Customs and the Department for Work and Pension. Your NIN will be used as a reference number for the benefits and tax credits system in the UK and is used for making tax and National Insurance deductions from your earnings.
To get a National Insurance Number in the UK you need to apply at your local JobCentre Plus Office and it can take months. Taxback.com can organise an NIN for you and reduce the application process to weeks.
For NIN applications we charge a fee of £40. Apply online for your National Insurance Number today.
I'm new to the UK - how can I open a bank account?
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If you're new to the UK, it can be difficult setting up a UK bank account. Banks in the UK require proof of address, a letter of employment or a utility bill in your name in order for you to open an account with them.
Taxback.com has partnerships with three of the biggest banks in the UK – Barclays, USBC and Lloyds – and we can help you open an account. All we need is proof of ID and a correspondence address.
We charge £35 for this service. Apply online for your UK bank account today.
If you're working as self-employed in the UK, you may need to open a business bank account.
How do I open a business bank account in the UK?
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If you're self-employed in the UK, or you're running a business, you may need to open a business bank account.
Banks in the UK have very strict criteria on opening business bank accounts and it can be very difficult, especially if you're new to the UK.
Taxback.com has a partnership with Barclays Bank and can organise a business bank account for you – all we need is proof of ID and addresses for all the company's directors.
Apply online to start setting up your UK business bank account today.
I don't have a UK driver's licence - can I still drive in the UK?
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If you're new to the UK, getting a UK driving licence is a good idea as many employers request a drivers' licence to employ candidates and it is also a generally accepted form of ID.
If you have a valid European Community licence, or a licence from Northern Ireland, Gibraltar, Australia, Barbados, British Virgin Islands, Canada, Falkland Islands, Hong Kong, Japan, Malta, Monaco, New Zealand, Republic of Cyprus, Republic of Korea, Singapore, South Africa, Switzerland, Zimbabwe, Jersey, Guernsey or the Isle of Man, you can drive for up to 12 months in the UK - provided your full licence remains valid.
If you want to drive in the UK after those first 12 months you'll need to exchange your licence for a UK licence before the 12 months is up.
We can help you exchange your licence for a full UK one, or help you obtain a provisional UK driving licence if you don't have a full licence in your home country. We charge £75 for this service.
Can I do it myself?
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Every tax office in the world is set up to accept applications directly from taxpayers so yes, you can file your return yourself. The reality is though once you submit it, there's no updating process and no feedback until you get a yes or a no, which is frustrating and very worrying.
Preparing your UK tax return will involve getting all the tax forms and trying to put all the information together properly – and it's not as easy as it looks.
At the end of the day ask yourself -
Would I wire my own house?
The reality is no, I wouldn't. I'd use an electrician.
It's a technical professional piece of work, so I'd get a technical professional to do the job properly. I don't want to risk my house blowing up!Our taxback.com customers rely on us as technical professionals to file their UK returns and get their tax back. Last year we filed nearly 10,000 UK tax refund claims. Our customers tell us they knew trying to file it themselves would lead to stress and a possible loss of money in refunds.
Filing your return yourself won't make your house explode, but it can result in lots of stress and leave you out of pocket if you miss out on refunds you're owed.
It's easier for you to let us put our 12 years of experience filing tax returns to good use by doing all the work for you. It makes sense to use an expert.
Use our FREE online refund calculator to see how much tax you could get back.
Can you guarantee that I'll receive the refund amount you estimated for me?
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No, but we do guarantee to get you the most money back that we legally can.
Our estimate is based on your documents and our experience in filing thousands of tax returns every week since 1996. Naturally, the UK tax authority has the final decision in your tax refund based on their systems and tax codes.
When our tax technicians prepare and file your return, they check for any benefits you could get and ensure we apply for the maximum rebate possible.
What's the difference between filing my tax return and getting my tax refund?
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We file your UK tax return in order to organise your tax refund.
A tax return is the annual submission of tax forms documenting your earnings, taxes paid, deductable expenses and benefits that you send to the tax office for review. They review it according to the information submitted by your employer and the current laws that apply to your case.
If you get a tax refund, this means the tax office review found you have overpaid UK tax and are due some back.
Our estimate of your refund is based on our prediction of what the tax office will decide when they review your tax return - providing they have the same information as us.
Use our FREE online refund estimator to see how much tax you could get back.
I worked abroad in other countries- can you help me to claim refunds from these countries?
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Absolutely! We've been organising tax refunds for people working all over the world since 1996. If you've worked in any of the following countries click on them to apply for your refund!
Our research team is constantly developing tax return services for new markets so if you've worked in a country not mentioned above, email our team on newtaxes@taxback.com to see what we can do for you.
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