Annual Taxsaver Tickets to be extended by Six Months

Davebol11 · 11-11-2020 4:33pm

Sheep Shagger wrote: »

They've stopped taking money for my travelcard and I've got a refund of about €250 net but no idea how that was calculated so have asked HR for backup. Doesn't seem enough?

I had asked for a reminder from 1 April until the start of August when they should have cancelled it.

Yeah, that does seem quite a low refund. I should get a refund from April until last week. I read somewhere if you used the card 10 times in a week that that week would be excluded so maybe I'll lose a couple of weeks during the summer when I was back in the office a couple of days a week.

Did getting the refund push you into a different tax rate and it was taxed at that higher rate?

cython · 11-11-2020 5:23pm

Davebol11 wrote: »

Yeah, that does seem quite a low refund. I should get a refund from April until last week. I read somewhere if you used the card 10 times in a week that that week would be excluded so maybe I'll lose a couple of weeks during the summer when I was back in the office a couple of days a week.

Did getting the refund push you into a different tax rate and it was taxed at that higher rate?

Seems more like 10 uses in a month is deemed enough to exclude that month from the refund: https://www.taxsaver.ie/News/Free-Taxsaver-Extension-Customer-FAQ/

8. As a customer, I have been using my TaxSaver ticket from time to time during travel restrictions, but now I want a refund.
Where the customer wishes to receive a refund, it is still open to them to make such a request via their employer under existing terms and conditions. Operators will process the refund if the customer didn’t have “substantial” use. Substantial use is deemed to be more than 10 trips within any calendar month

Depending on how those weeks with 10 trips fell (e.g. if they were in different months) , that may see you markedly worse off?

Davebol11 · 11-11-2020 5:52pm

cython wrote: »

Seems more like 10 uses in a month is deemed enough to exclude that month from the refund: https://www.taxsaver.ie/News/Free-Taxsaver-Extension-Customer-FAQ/

Depending on how those weeks with 10 trips fell (e.g. if they were in different months) , that may see you markedly worse off?

Thanks, I think I may lose a month on that basis, maybe 2 unfortunately!

Sheep Shagger · 11-11-2020 6:43pm

Davebol11 wrote: »

Did getting the refund push you into a different tax rate and it was taxed at that higher rate?

Nope, would be all at the higher rate normally....will see what backup HR can provide.

stephenjmcd · 12-11-2020 5:30pm

L1011 wrote: »

Still not received any extension on a 31/01/21 expiring ticket - which is still used, occasionally.

Don't think you will until closer the time. Mine is 31/12

BRYAN Is Ainm Dom · 14-11-2020 9:13pm

Sheep Shagger wrote: »

They've stopped taking money for my travelcard and I've got a refund of about €250 net but no idea how that was calculated so have asked HR for backup. Doesn't seem enough?

I had asked for a reminder from 1 April until the start of August when they should have cancelled it.

Can you tell me was your transport operator a private company.

Sheep Shagger · 14-11-2020 11:10pm

BRYAN Is Ainm Dom wrote: »

Can you tell me was your transport operator a private company.

Was a Dublin bus and LUAS annual ticket.

goingnowhere · 16-11-2020 10:41am

L1011 wrote: »

Still not received any extension on a 31/01/21 expiring ticket - which is still used, occasionally.

Your extension will not issue until the last week of January

Mama lion · 20-11-2020 12:20am

Sheep Shagger wrote: »

They've stopped taking money for my travelcard and I've got a refund of about €250 net but no idea how that was calculated so have asked HR for backup. Doesn't seem enough?

I had asked for a reminder from 1 April until the start of August when they should have cancelled it.[/quoted

Do you mind me asking how long it took from stopping the payments to getting refund. I can see next week's payslip so can see they've stopped taking the payment. Many thanks

Sheep Shagger · 20-11-2020 1:53pm

Not 100% sure so am waiting on HR to provide details, think about 3 months....will report back.

mailforkev · 24-11-2020 7:30pm

I’ve just paid the final payment for my annual ticket in my Nov salary. Not used since early March.

So not only have I not got the refund, I’ve paid 4 more months since I requested it.

They owe me 8 months back at this stage. I’m presuming there’s just a terrible backlog like everything else.

Mama lion · 25-11-2020 1:47pm

mailforkev wrote: »

I’ve just paid the final payment for my annual ticket in my Nov salary. Not used since early March.

So not only have I not got the refund, I’ve paid 4 more months since I requested it.

They owe me 8 months back at this stage. I’m presuming there’s just a terrible backlog like everything else.

I made last payment 2 weeks ago. Would be interested to know how long it takes for refund.

Requested in August and due refund back to April too.

Celtise · 29-11-2020 4:44pm

I have an annual Dublin Bus/Irish Rail ticket, Jan - Dec, through my employer. I have used it less than 10 times total since March and have no use for the extension so thinking of requesting refund backdated to April. Am I too late for this? Do I have to request through employer or how do I go about it?

Gerlad · 30-11-2020 11:03am

Celtise wrote: »

I have an annual Dublin Bus/Irish Rail ticket, Jan - Dec, through my employer. I have used it less than 10 times total since March and have no use for the extension so thinking of requesting refund backdated to April. Am I too late for this? Do I have to request through employer or how do I go about it?

You have up to 31/12/20 to apply - do it through your employer. There seems to be a huge backlog. I applied in mid September and money keeps coming from salary and no refund yet. And i can see above others applied even earlier and no sign yet.

cee_jay · 04-12-2020 4:30pm

I also applied in August, money no longer coming out as of November, but no refund - I haven't used it since March. My ticket is luas only, was hoping we might see the refund this side of Christmas but I'm guessing not.

mailforkev · 04-12-2020 6:36pm

Was informed this week that supposedly my refund is approved and money was to be with my employer by end November, so hopefully a bumper December payslip awaits in a couple of weeks. Mind you, I'll believe it when I see it.

Daith · 07-12-2020 3:05pm

I got mine though my employer. I actually ended up using the ticket early this year (I was paying for it!), but like once a month, and the NTA were getting very sniffy about the refund. The Finance Dept in my place fought them though

Ohmeha · 08-12-2020 12:23am

Debating with myself to apply for a refund through work. Unsure of the wording on the taxsaver site section 8 regarding 'substantial use', does this definitely apply to just an individual month or if you have gone above 10 journeys in any month since April then you are excluded from eligibility for a refund?

Hardly used it from April til mid-August with a couple of journeys made late August. Used it 20+ times during September, pretty certain I just went over 10 journeys in October and then back to minimal use in November/December well under 10 journeys

I would hope that would work out as a 7 month refund which looks better than the 6 months extension. Do you get refunded pro-rata net amount or gross amount and then pay additional tax? I paid €1800.00 upfront in January and I'm on the higher tax band

mailforkev · 18-12-2020 11:22am

Got my refund today finally.

cee_jay · 21-12-2020 8:10am

I see my refund on my pay slip for my next payday this week. I had a Luas only ticket, not used since March. Even in March, it was barely used. My refund, before tax, is €859.

loyatemu · 29-12-2020 7:13pm

just checked and I got mine back last month (hadn't even noticed at the time - they only gave me back 1 month, which was then halved by tax...)

Gael23 · 29-12-2020 8:37pm

Question on Taxsaver.
If you have say a Luas only taxsaver do you need a seperate leap card for Dublin Bus? I use the Bus occasionally but not enough to make the combined ticket work

mailforkev · 29-12-2020 9:23pm

Gael23 wrote: »

Question on Taxsaver.
If you have say a Luas only taxsaver do you need a seperate leap card for Dublin Bus? I use the Bus occasionally but not enough to make the combined ticket work

No, you can load credit as usual onto your annual one. The system knows to use the annual ticket if on Luas and your top-up balance if on bus etc.

Gael23 · 29-12-2020 9:45pm

mailforkev wrote: »

No, you can load credit as usual onto your annual one. The system knows to use the annual ticket if on Luas and your top-up balance if on bus etc.

How do I go about reclaiming credit on my existing leap card?

mailforkev · 29-12-2020 11:59pm

Gael23 wrote: »

How do I go about reclaiming credit on my existing leap card?

You can request a refund of what’s left on the old card via the website. Not sure if you can transfer. Need cards to be registered for online obviously.

Sheep Shagger · 30-12-2020 2:17pm

Irish Times reporting that the deadline for claiming is 31/12.

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/more-than-17m-in-refunds-for-public-transport-passes-paid-out-1.4443779

jupiter90 · 01-01-2021 10:49pm

Any advice..... I have a yearly ticket expired 31st Dec. I didn't apply for a refund because I stupidly thought I would be back in the office and could use the 6 month extension. Didn't know there was a deadline.
Now it looks like I still wont be back to the office any time soon so the extension is useless. I'm unsure here. What do I do?

labrik · 04-01-2021 10:36am

Think yourself lucky. A lot of us had to go back to work during the pandemic I don't understand why you're complaining. TBH, I don't think you can reclaim now. Why don't you send a query to taxsaver?

jupiter90 · 04-01-2021 4:48pm

labrik wrote: »

Think yourself lucky. A lot of us had to go back to work during the pandemic I don't understand why you're complaining. TBH, I don't think you can reclaim now. Why don't you send a query to taxsaver?

Are you serious? I paid €1800 for a yearly ticket for a service which I didnt use that's why I'm complaining.

Zwillinge · 13-01-2021 2:56pm

Not sure if right or wrong thread.

I never had a Taxsaver Leapcard before and I applied for one in December 2020 for this year 2021, received it but haven't used it once since.
The money was taken - of course!

Am I to take it that there will be an extension at the end of this year for months/weeks with no travel or will it be applying at the end of year for a refund? Was the process easy for ye last year?

I've asked on Twitter, was given an email address to query but haven't heard back and its near a week.
Thanks!

Best year ever to try one out for the first time :pac:

Rashers72 · 14-01-2021 7:12pm

If it helps... have annual rail only ticket Feb to Feb, renewed as normal 2020. Used for 1.5 months, then my employer requested I WFH till now. Applied via 'TravelHub' for a refund end August 2020 once TFI finally published a refund process. About 2 months later, the monthly salary deduction ceased. Contacted TravelHub who confirmed my refund request was with IE awaiting action. Sent IE taxsaver emails in December and 2 weeks ago for an update, but never got a response. Rang today, call directed to a different department, as Taxsaver not taking any calls. We agreed they were also not responding to emails. Was advised that as of 1 month ago, they had refunded those cancellation requests send to them in March and April 2020. They seem to be seriously behind schedule refunding customers. Nothing really we can do about this though.

YellowLead · 18-01-2021 3:16pm

Is it only a 6 month extension they are offering? At this stage I have been wfh for 10 months and will be most likely for another 4 or possibly more.

My only worry is that there were a few months when restrictions were eased I used it twice a week - not sure if it counts as one trip where you go and return in a day or that’s two trips.

Edit - I emailed taxsaver.ie with these questions and just got sent a link to the FAQs. Appalling customer service even if I’m just being too stupid to figure it out.

Gerlad · 18-01-2021 4:55pm

Just got an email from their Credits team today that my refund has been approved and should hit my company's account tomorrow. My ticket expires at the end of this month and the last debit from my salary came out last week so maybe they're processing refunds as and when tickets expire.

L1011 · 25-01-2021 6:50pm

Extension finally arrived today for a January ending ticket. Whatever will I spend the extra 75 quid a month on :pac:

Still works out better than a refund for me as I used the card in most of March, mid June to early August and again from December so there's only s few months of sub 10 tags, and the usual two lost

thenightman · 27-04-2021 8:35pm

Anyone know what the craic with the 6 month extension is? will it be extended again or should I be getting onto HR about renewing for remainder of year?

facebeard · 12-05-2021 1:50pm

Hi,
Hoping someone can help me with this query. I renewed my Annual Rail ticket last July as usual but never tried for the Free Extension. I am up for renewal again but was wondering if I can avail of the Extension ? according to taxsaver.ie I can, the details on how this works are unclear. Taxsaver.ie mentions "Collecting" the new ticket from Irish tail as you travel, it also mentions that the ticket will be renewed after expiry ( without details of how this happens). I don't want to not renew and then miss my renewal date or has this free extension ended since December 2020 ?

Thanks.

Stevek101 · 12-05-2021 3:09pm

The extension was automatically added at the end of your last ticket unless you applied for a refund. Original closing date for a refund was the end of December.

facebeard · 12-05-2021 3:14pm

Thanks Steve, My ticket renews at the end of June so I should have done this last year, Pity I missed out on a claiming back a few hundred.

YellowLead · 12-05-2021 3:48pm

facebeard wrote: »

Thanks Steve, My ticket renews at the end of June so I should have done this last year, Pity I missed out on a claiming back a few hundred.

Me too! I’ve been paying all year and not using mine. Asked my HR to cancel it and apply for refund but nothing happened. I hope I at least get a 6 month extension for free when I return to the office

Stevek101 · 12-05-2021 4:24pm

YellowLead wrote: »

Me too! I’ve been paying all year and not using mine. Asked my HR to cancel it and apply for refund but nothing happened. I hope I at least get a 6 month extension for free when I return to the office

Unfortunately extensions were from the end of your ticket. You had to apply for refund at the end of December if this extension wasn't used.

It wasn't really pushed that much so I'm sure many were caught out. No harm in trying your HR to see if they can get anywhere with Taxsaver.

One provider gave a good guide on this last year

https://support.hubex.ie/hc/en-ie/articles/360044040071

thenightman · 14-05-2021 8:51pm

HR prompted me to renew my ticket today for July onwards, so no more free extensions anyway!

Annual Taxsaver Tickets to be extended by Six Months

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