Taxback.com Survey: Thousands of Irish workers missing out on their tax refund each year
Claiming tax relief can help alleviate financial pressure from inflation and soaring costs
80% of Irish workers are changing buying behaviour due to inflation. That's the latest finding of Taxback.com’s 2022 Taxpayer Sentiment Survey.
Our survey also found that half of people are missing out on their tax refund. Reasons for this range from people being unaware of what they are due to not understanding the process of applying for a refund.
In this piece, we will delve into some common tax reliefs which can be claimed in order to help offset rising prices of living.
Key findings of the 2022 Taxback.com taxpayer sentinent survey
- 80% of Irish workers have changed their buying behaviour
- 8 in 10 don't know what Flat Rate Expenses are
- 4 in 10 don't apply to get their maximum amount of medical expeses back
- 1 in 5 don't have a Revenue account set up
Why are people not claiming their refunds?
In truth, many Irish workers are unaware that they are due tax back!
In fact, our survey found that more than half of the participants involved do not fully claim their entitlements.
The average Irish tax refund is €1,880, so it’s obvious that it is worth your time to claim it back.
Barry Cahill, Director of Taxback.com, outlines how these figures are ‘surprising, and somewhat alarming’ given that ‘the actual figure should be much, much higher’.
What is clear is that many people are uncertain about how to go about claiming their refunds, so generally tend to push it to the side.
However, we have generally found that money is usually owed to the taxpayer, not the tax man, so it is definitely worth checking out.
In short, applying for your Irish tax refund, even if you think you are not owed any money, is well worth your time!
Inflation and cost of living is rising around the globe, with many beginning to feel the impact in Ireland. Food, energy, and motor costs are the top three areas in which workers will look for better value.
File your Irish taxes the easy way
Large amount of people neglecting Flat Rate Expenses
According to the survey, eight in ten Irish workers don’t know wh even though they may significantly boost their refund. This, according to Cahill, should be much higher, as it could significantly help with budgeting.
A Flat Rate Expense is a tax relief or tax credit that is available to people who work in certain jobs.
More often than not, however, you will have to file a Form 12 and submit it to Revenue to be in a position to claim it back.
You can find out more about Flat Rate Expenses here.
You can always apply for tax back by yourself.
However, the easiest way to secure your maximum amount of tax back is by claiming your maximum tax refund with Taxback.com.
Working from home
A large portion of the Irish population still work from home.
The fact that this is a new phenomenon goes some way to explaining why so few people are claiming their maximum refunds.
However, as of 2022 Revenue accepts a claim of 30% of electricity and heat as well as broadband bills that are apportioned on the basis of total work days from home over the year.
Naturally, heating and broadband bills will rise with more hours spent at home, but the good news is that some of this can be claimed back!
You can find out more on e-working tax reliefs that can be claimed here.
How many people claim their tax refund?
With our report outlining that only 17% of people claiming a refund only once in their life, and 11% only doing it ‘sporadically’, it’s safe to say there may be a lot of cash unclaimed!
All this cash that is left behind can really help with potential future inflation, too.
After all, only 7% of our surveyed Irish workers say they wouldn't struggle with a price hike on day-to-day living costs.
File your Irish taxes the easy way
How can I get my maximum tax refund?
Think you may be due a tax refund? Great!
Since we received the results of our survey, we have submitted tax returns for thousands of workers and the average refund amounts to €1,250, with the highest individual refund being €7,400!
Remember, many people lose out on their refunds each year because they assume they are not due anything - don’t be one of them! You could end up losing thousands of euros in cash not claimed.
Countless Irish workers chose to apply for their tax refund with Taxback.com each year - safe to say we’re the Irish tax experts!
So, when you apply with us, we’ll make sure you’re availing of EVERY possible expense so that you get the most you can possibly get back.
With a chance of retaining a huge tax refund, it is obvious that it is at least worth seeing what you’re owed!
File your Irish taxes the easy way
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