There is no minimum age at which a person must pay income tax. What matters is your income: if it is below a certain level, no tax is payable.
Tax bands
Income tax is a "progressive tax" - in other words the rate rises with your income. Everyone has a personal allowance (currently £6,475 for under 65s), which is tax-free. Income over this figure is subject to taxation at the following rates:
· Basic rate (20%): in the 2009/10 tax year this is payable on the first £37,400 of income over the personal allowance.
· Higher rate (40%): this is payable on all taxable income above £37.400.
This means a person earning £45,000 a year would pay no tax on the first £6,745, 20% on the next £37,400 (£7,480) and 40% on the remaining £855 (£342), adding up to a total tax payment of £7,822.
Until April 2008 there was a third low-rate level of 10%, but this was scrapped by Gordon Brown in his last budget as chancellor.
Paying income tax
If you are an employee, your employer will deduct the tax you owe at source - that is before your pay packet is handed over.
Your employer will tax you according to your tax code, which is based on your employment circumstances. If you have already worked, your previous employer should have given you a P45 when you left. Your P45 will tell your present employer how much you have earned in the current year (if anything) and how much tax (if any) you have paid so far in that tax year.
Almost everyone will pay income tax at some point in their life
If you have no P45, ask your new employer for a P46. In due course you will receive a form from the tax office asking for details of your income and employment history. Complete this form and return it promptly - if you do not, you may end up paying more tax than necessary. When the tax office has received your completed form it will issue you with a tax code, a copy of which will be sent to your employer automatically.
Self-employed people
If you work for yourself you must register for self-assessment with HM Revenue & Customs within three months of becoming self-employed, or risk a fine of £100.
After that you will be sent a tax return each April. Although you can work out your own tax bill, HMRC will do it for you if you send in your return by October 31, or January 31 if you fill the form in online.
You will need to settle your tax bill by January 31, otherwise you will face a fine.
Self-employed people may be able to offset expenses against their tax bill.
Employees who receive a second income on top of their main salary, and pensioners who receive a private pension or other income, will also need to fill in a self-assessment form and settle their tax bill in this way.
If you are self-employed you may be able to offset some of your expenses against your tax bill and reduce the amount you owe. Travel, rent on office space and stationery costs may all be offset. It can get complicated so you may benefit from hiring an accountant who will ensure you maximise the allowances and reliefs available to you.;
Your tax code
The tax code is the total figure you are allowed to earn in any tax year before you start paying tax, without the final digit. For example, a code of 512H means that you start paying tax after you have earned £5,120.
The letter shown after your code defines your status. L represents a basic personal allowance entitlement, H a personal allowance plus married couple's allowance or additional personal allowance at basic rate, while D represents a higher-rate taxpayer. The letters OT mean no allowances have been given; this code might apply when you have overdue tax returns or your tax affairs are very complicated.
Sometimes your taxable benefits will exceed your allowances, an example being if you are taxed on a company car or you owe money to HMRC from previous tax years. In these cases, a K code enables your employer to recoup tax on behalf of HMRC.
Make sure you check your tax code if you change jobs or your circumstances otherwise change. If you think the code is wrong, speak to your employer and to the tax office.
Savings
Unless held in an individual savings account (Isa), any interest you earn on your savings will also be subject to income tax. If your income is below the tax allowance, and your savings interest won't push you over it, you should fill in form R85 to receive it without the tax being taken off. Otherwise, your savings provider will deduct 20% of your interest for the taxman.
If you are a higher-rate taxpayer you will need to contact your tax office. It will ask you to fill in a tax return, or form P810, and arrange to deduct the extra tax through your employer's payroll.
The P60
This piece of paperwork is sent out after the end of the tax year. It details your earnings and tax deductions for the past tax year and is provided by your employer each April.
If you fill in a tax return you should keep records of your taxable income for at least 22 months after the end of the current tax year. Make sure you keep your P60s in a safe place as duplicates are not always easy to obtain.
Self-employed people must keep records for six years after the relevant tax year.
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