Can students claim their Tax back??

[MattLeedsUK]

I recently have entered into full time higher education at University. Having been employed for more than a year before going to Uni, am i entitled to the tax i paid during that year to be paid back to me?

This was something that i had not considered but a fellow student received nearly £2000 in the tax that they had paid before entering higher education.

I would be very grateful if somebody could help me with this.

Many thanks

Matt

[pawncob]

If you paid more tax than was due, then you can claim a refund.
If you have a P60, you can check the tax paid at www.listentotaxman.com

[James Wilson]

Some basics - sorry if you know this already: You are entitled (I am assuming you have average circumstances) to a personal allowance each tax year of something over £5,000 (find exact figure from any website or phone your tax office). Tax years run April to April, not Jan to Dec.
If you worked the whole of the academic year from say, October 2006 to August 2007, then entered university, you would have worked in two separate tax years: 2006/7 and 2007/8.
Now I don't know what you earned. If you earned less than £5,000 or so in either or both of those years, and paid tax, then you can claim back the tax paid.
The most likely situation, presuming you had a reasonably average income, is that you used up you tax allowance in 2006/7 but are unlikely to have done so in 2007/8, since you would only have worked five months from April 2007 to the time you entered university.
Ask your local tax office for a form. It is quite simple to do and they may help you out. You will need to find your old payslips or P60s. You can claim, I think, up to 6 years after the event, but better to do it now while you remember (and probably need the cash!)
Particularly do claim if you were ever taxed on "emergency code" as you will have overpaid a lot. If you need help, then TaxAid is a charity which will help you out, but it should be straightforward and painless. Find the local tax office in a phonebook. Whatever you do, DON'T pay anyone to do this for you - that is money for old rope, verging, in my opinion, on a scam.
Good luck with you studies.

[James Wilson]

I should have added that even if you earned MORE than the personal allowance in either tax year, you may still be due a refund as the system works by assuming that you will carry on earning for the whole year, which you didn't.
Claim anyway, can't do any harm.