Dear customer,
As part of National Careers Week, we’re sharing top tips on how to save time in the recruitment process. From finding a National Insurance number in the HMRC app, to the best way to boost budgets by getting money back on work-related costs quickly and easily online – there’s something for everyone.
We’d appreciate your support in letting your employees know about the HMRC app and online services, and how this can help them.
Getting the right details submitted
It’s really important that you get accurate information from employees and enter it in the correct format so that employees aren’t paying too much or too little tax. We use this data to match the new employment to their Pay As You Earn (PAYE) records – which helps them to get taxed and paid correctly.
The best way to get accurate information from your employee is by asking them to complete the online starter checklist.
To make sure they’ve submitted the right details, just double check these against their documents (for example, passports and birth certificates) to make sure no mistakes will delay them getting on the right tax. If you’re unsure about any of your employee’s information you can leave the box blank, as incorrect or default details are likely to slow things down further.
To help your employees provide the right information, feel free to share our employee help cards.
Finding their National Insurance number
Anyone can save, print and share a fully accessible PDF version of their National Insurance number confirmation letter instantly, once they’ve signed into the HMRC app.
This means you and your new employee can save up to 15 days in the recruitment process, by avoiding having to call and wait for us to send this letter by post if they’ve misplaced their National Insurance number.
Your employees can easily store a digital copy of the number to their phone wallet, giving them quicker access in the future too. Just download the HMRC app then select 'view your National Insurance number'. To save to an e-wallet, select 'add to Apple/Google Wallet'.
Managing finances in the app
If you have paid too much personal tax at the end of the tax year, you can easily claim your tax refund through the HMRC app. We’ll pay the refund straight into your bank account, which means you don’t have to wait for us to send it by post. Find out more about claiming a tax refund via the HMRC app.
You can also use the app to check your pay a few days before payday, check your tax code, and view an estimate of your earnings and any tax paid.
To start managing your individual finances in the HMRC app, select the 'Pay As You Earn (PAYE)' section from the 'Money' screen to find the relevant information. If you’re due money back from us, you’ll see a green button on the page to claim your refund and the amount we owe.
Claiming tax relief on employee expenses
Did you know your employees may be able to claim tax refunds on work-related expenses? Making a claim via GOV.UK is free, takes minutes and guarantees that they get 100% of the money back, if eligible. Use the online claim service to check eligibility and a full list of work expenses including:
| | • | uniforms and work clothing | | • | buying work-related equipment | | • | professional fees, union memberships, and subscriptions | | • | using their own vehicle for work travel (excluding journey from home to work)
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Find out more about how to make a work-related expense claim. There are also communication resources for claiming tax relief to share with your employees.
Understanding the National Minimum Wage
All workers are entitled to the National Minimum Wage for their age group (which currently ranges between £5.28 to £10.42 per hour, but will be changing from 1 April 2024).
Apprentices are entitled to a National Minimum Wage which is currently £5.28. Once they’ve completed the first year of their apprenticeship and are over 19 years old, they’re entitled to the National Minimum Wage for their age.
It’s illegal to pay less than the National Minimum Wage, but some employers accidentally do it without realising. This can easily happen when making wage deductions or forgetting to pay for all the time an employee has worked (for example, training out of hours).
More information about National Living and Minimum Wage rates and common mistakes can be found on GOV.UK. HMRC also provides National Minimum Wage support for employers through email updates and webinars.
Thank you for continuing to provide invaluable support to your employees. We hope this information helps you and your employees, and we’ll continue to keep you updated on our digital services.
Yours faithfully
HM Revenue and Customs |
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Stay safe online
For more information, please search 'avoid and report internet scams and phishing' on GOV.UK.
HMRC app
You can download the HMRC app on your mobile to get information about your tax, income, tax codes, National Insurance and any benefits paid by HMRC. Find out what the app can do and how to download it on GOV.UK.
HMRC’s help and support email service
To make changes to your topic subscriptions or to unsubscribe please go to our email portal or click on the link below. Please note, by unsubscribing from this service you may continue to receive emails from other HMRC services.
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