Martin Lewis issues urgent warning as households have just hours left to claim up to £1,000 free cash – how to get it
MARTIN Lewis has issued an urgent warning as households have hours left to claim up to £1,000 in free cash.
In the latest MoneySavingExpert newsletter, the consumer champion said: “You’ve only till April 5 to max claims for marriage tax allowance, PPI tax and more.”
Martin added: “With marriage tax allowance, tax on PPI claims, overpaid income tax and uniform tax rebates, you can only backdate reclaims for four tax years (as well as claiming for the current year).
“So with the new tax year starting on Thursday, you’ll lose the ability to backdate claims as far as the 2018/19 tax year.
Households will need to sort out these claims by the end of the day (Wednesday, April 5) before the new tax year begins on Thursday, April 6.
Here’s how to claim the four tax rebates now and ensure you get up to £1,000 in free cash.
1. Apply for marriage tax allowance now
Around 2.1million couples eligible for marriage tax allowance don’t claim it, according to MoneySavingExpert.
It is available to couples who are married or in a civil partnership, where one person earns less than the personal allowance threshold of £12,570.
You can transfer £1,260 of your personal allowance to your partner, reducing their tax by up to £252.
In addition to this year’s allowance, you can also get it for the previous four tax years -currently 2018/19, 2019/20 2020/21 and 2021/22.
The tax break was worth £238, £250, £250 and £252 during those years respectively, meaning you can get up to £1,242 in total.
But you can only backdate it by four years.
You could miss out on £238 if you don’t apply by April 5 this year.
You can apply for marriage allowance for free online on Gov.UK.
2. Claim PPI tax back now
You could be owed extra cash on refunds as most banks and lenders automatically deducted tax from PPI payouts, even though not everyone has to pay it.
The deadline for claiming the mis-sold insurance policies was in August 2019, so you can’t get a tax refund if you haven’t already received a payout.
But if you have received a payment in the last four years, you could be entitled to more money in reclaimed tax.
To reclaim any tax you’re due on PPI payouts, you’ll need to fill out the R40 form on the Gov.UK.
You can make a claim using the online service, or fill in the form on-screen, print it off and post it to HMRC.
3. Check your tax code now
It’s worth checking if your employer is using the right tax code or you could end up paying the wrong amount.
A tax code is used by your employer or pension provider to work out how much income tax to take from your pay or pension.
You can find your tax code in several different ways, including:
- on a “Tax Code Notice” letter from HMRC if you get one
- on your payslip (this might be online or in paper form)
- on the HMRC app
- by checking your tax code for the current year online on your personal tax account
HMRC should, normally, update your tax code when your income changes. They should receive this information from your employer.
But sometimes HMRC might not have the correct information and you may be given the wrong tax code.
Of course, HMRC won’t know if you have the wrong tax code so will continue deducting what it thinks is the correct amount from your pay.
So it’s up to you to be proactive and get in touch with them if you think it’s wrong.
You can check your tax code on Gov.UK.
You can also update your employment details and tell HMRC about any change in income that might have affected your tax code on the government website.
4. Claim uniform tax rebate now
Those who wash or repair their own work uniform are entitled to an allowance to cover the cost, even if it’s just a branded T-shirt.
The minimum allowance is £60 a year, which would mean a £12 a year gain on the basic rate of tax, or £24 on the higher rate.
It’s another tax rebate you can claim for the previous four years, meaning you’ve got to claim it by today for 2018-19 if you were eligible.
It’s also worth noting that some jobs come with a flat rate uniform allowance.
Pilots and flight deck crew can claim up to £1,022 a year, joiners up to £140 and ambulance staff up to £185 a year.
You can check if you can claim flat rate expenses for uniforms, work clothing and tools on the government website.