Claiming Med 1 expenses online - requested to send P60 for review

Lisa78

Hi, this just seemed strange to me and the person I was talking to just said it was a random selection and couldn't give me any more information so I'm just curious how it works.

I went online to claim medical expenses for 2013 - filled everything in, and a few weeks later went back online to check why nothing had come through (a friend had done it at the same time and the money was in her bank account in a couple of days). When I logged in this time and went to tax year 2013, it just said something like the request cannot be processed - contact the helpline number. I rang and the lady I was talking to said they select people at random to review their details. I have no problem with it - review away but she said they needed me to send them a copy of my P60. I emailed it straight away so there wouldn't be any further delay but there is a backlog of a few weeks for them to do this.
What I can't understand is why they needed me to send them a copy of my P60 - should they not already have all that information? Or is there something here I'm just not aware of.

Hope I've explained that ok!
Anyone that can shed some light on it, I'd appreciate it :rolleyes:

Arbiter of Good Taste

Not to worry. It's just a random desk audit. Are your medical expenses significant? If so it might just have automatically triggered the review.

Regarding your P60, you will probably find that the section dealing with medical expenses is different to PAYE. Though I agree it should be streamlined

Lisa78

Ah - was thinking they would have some sort of harmonised system but should have known better!!
Thanks for the reply. Yeah, unfortunately had a lot of expenses last year so maybe that's it. I have all receipts so not worried about it, more annoyed that it's delaying getting the refund because I could really use it now. Ah well, just have to be patient.
Thanks again.

relax carry on

The online system has enabled more claims to be handled quicker with fewer resources as just like every other department, Revenues staffing levels have been reduced significantly over the last few years. However as with any online system there has to be some level of oversight.

All claims, online and paper based, for additional tax credits or reliefs can be subject to higher level checking to ensure that the systems work. A certain percentage of the claims are checked randomly and others are targeted (pay and tax details not making sense, amounts claimed etc). The second level checking can only be carried out by designated staff so at extremely busy times of the year such as now, you will get an increased workload.

As you made your claim online a few weeks ago, you probably entered your pay and tax details online. The reason you had to do this is Revenue haven't a clue what your pay and tax for a particular year was until your employer files their end of year P35 with Revenue which contains your details.
A common problem which occurs at this time of year, is people entering incorrect figures from their payslips rather than P60s which can lead incorrectly to large underpayments or overpayments. So quite often, Revenue will confirmation of pay and tax in the form of your P60.

If you feel that your claim is being unfairly dealt with or contravenes the Customer Service Charter, you do have the right to file a complaint.

http://www.revenue.ie/en/about/customer-service.html

SVI40

I got selected for an audit last year after submitting a Med 1. Had to provide receipts for 2009-2012. Got a letter a couple of weeks that all was in order, and a refund a few days later.

The lady I spoke to in Revenue told me she also got audited that year, so it happens to them too .

It's no biggie, but it is important to keep your medical receipts for 6 years.

kc90

I submitted 3 Med 1 forms, I did the 2012 one online, and it hasn't been viewed yet, and sent off one for 2013 and 2014 the same day. It's been 10 days now. How long is normal for a refund to be processed?

relax carry on

kc90 wrote: »

I submitted 3 Med 1 forms, I did the 2012 one online, and it hasn't been viewed yet, and sent off one for 2013 and 2014 the same day. It's been 10 days now. How long is normal for a refund to be processed?

Well, for paper claims it dependss on the office you sent it to. Depending on the staff numbers and number of workitems, you can be looking at 2 to 6 weeks to process. The online claim should have been processed automatically in 48 hours if all was in order. Is there any notification in paye anytime inbox?

Also a 2014 claim will not be processed as it is the present tax year.

Lisa78

Yeah, I've no problem with them checking - I know it's something that has to be done because there are people that take advantage of it, and I have all receipts anyway. I just found it strange having the tax office asking me for my tax details :-) but I just didn't know how it worked. Thanks for the replies.