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One third of Irish who have worked in UK entitled to tax rebate – but may not know it

Large numbers of people who have worked in Britain are entitled to a tax refund, but many are unaware of it.

Tax specialists Taxback.com said the rebates could be worth more than €1,000.

An estimated one in three Irish people who have worked in the UK are entitled to a tax rebate.

But many are not aware of their eligibility or the length of time they have to claim.

A crash-out Brexit could see thousands of Irish people returning home from the UK, which will mean they will be entitled to claim tax refunds.

Taxback.com commercial director Eileen Devereux said the UK has remained a popular destination for Irish workers in recent years.

She said the most recent Central Statistics Office statistics show a total of 12,100 Irish people migrating to the UK in the last year.

This figure was closer to 20,000 in 2011 when the numbers were at their peak.

“While people are still leaving our shores to work in our nearest neighbours, it is not unlikely that Brexit could see an influx of Irish workers return home,” Ms Devereux said.

She said many of these people end up coming home for one reason or another.

“Our experience is that many don’t know they have left valuable tax refunds behind them, effectively giving the UK tax authorities their hard-earned cash.”

The Taxback.com expert said that people who have worked in the UK and paid tax in the last four years could be due a tax rebate.

“Figures from the UK’s Office for National Statistics estimate that there were 149,000 people who were born in Ireland, aged 16 to 64 living and employed in the UK between 2013 and 2015.

“Any of those people who may have already returned home, or may be thinking of it, would do well to check their eligibility for a rebate, which could be as much as a huge £963 [€1,095], which is our average UK tax rebate.”

Taxback.com has created what it calls a “no-nonsense” guide to income tax in the UK, which is aimed at helping Irish people who have worked or are currently working in the UK, to sort out their tax affairs and avail of any refunds that may be due.

Article Source: http://tinyurl.com/kbwqb42