Rent relief

Fiii

Hey guys

In 2009 I was employed full time from Jan - June inclusive.
In June I was let go and have been self employed working freelance since September 2009.
I have registered myself for Self Assessment Income Tax etc.

My question is, am I entitled to Rent Relief for 2009?
I used to always sort it myself online, but PAYE anytime won't allow me to do anything for that year online now, as I have registered for Income Tax within that year.
Now, does this mean I am no longer entitled to it?
And if I am no longer entitled to it, should I atleast get some tax back for the 6 months I was paying PAYE?

Cheers for any advice - can't get to the tax office in this weather to ask, and am fairly new to this whole being self employed lark

F

SoulTrader

You are still entitled to your rent relief credit for 2009. Make sure you include it on your 2009 tax return when you submit it (due October 31). The sooner you submit your tax return, the sooner you get your credit.

All this assumes of course that your earnings were sufficient to generate a tax charge. If you didn't pay tax then you obviously wouldn't be able to get a credit.

Read here about the allowance. Assuming you're under 55 it will be worth 400euro to you.

http://www.citizensinformation.ie/categories/housing/renting-a-home/tax_relief_for_tenants

Fiii

Thanks so much for that.
Does it make my case more complicated though, seeing as I will pay PAYE and self assessed tax within the same tax year?
My tax returns that I do myself will only reflect what I have earned from Sept - Dec of 2009, when in reality, I have paid much more tax for 2009 through PAYE.

Also (and forgive me if this is a stupid question ) but can I fill out my tax returns for 2009 now, or do I have to wait until later in the year?
I'm finding it so hard to find info - there is alot out there for businesses, but not much for self employed people it seems.
(That, and math makes my brain hurt! ha)

Cheers,
F

SoulTrader

You're welcome.

When you do your tax return for 2009, there will be a space to include income earned while employed, and the tax office will already have a record of this (from your employers 2009 annual P35 return, which is due to the tax office by mid-February). The P35 is a record of the salary and tax deductions for all employees who worked for the company during 2009. I assume you already have your P45 so you should know the amount you have been paid, and the amount of tax that has been deducted from your pay in 2009.

This isn't complicated, don't worry! Lots of people file tax returns on an annual basis where they have both employment income and self-employed income. The tax office see this all the time!

And you can fill out and submit your tax return anytime now. If you feel you're due a refund, you might as well do it now.

Cheers

Fiii

You're a star - thank you so much