Each year, people living and working in Ireland are due tax rebates but don’t claim them – leaving millions of euros in the pockets of Revenue. We sat down with Gerry Scully, senior accountant at Irish Tax Rebates to discuss the current tax climate and get the inside scoop on how tax rebate companies can help the average person.
Gerry Scully is a senior accountant at Irish Tax Rebates and has been working in the field for over 10 years.
Q: Irish Tax Rebates has been an established tax service for over 20 years. Tell us a bit about its beginnings and why it was set up in the first place.
Irish Tax Rebates was established because Martin Brennan, an experienced senior accountant, saw the opportunity to provide a professional accounting service to people who might not ordinarily engage an accountant. Generally, these are PAYE workers who don’t necessarily want or need to think about their taxes – we wanted to provide them with the chance to get back the money they are owed from the Revenue Commissioners without needing to engage an accountant full-time, which can be quite costly.
Over the years, we’ve gone from Martin working on his own to a full team of 30 tax experts. This can be attributed to maintaining our focus on the customers – providing them with the best possible service, focusing on the accountants reviewing our client’s taxes and supported by a brilliant customer service team.
Q: On average, how much money do your clients get back?
Returns vary from person to person. If the client hasn’t been reviewed before, we can actually go as far back as 4 years to get the maximum rebate possible. Typically, you’d be looking at an average refund of €500-600 for a single taxpayer, moving up to an average of around €1,000 for a married couple. It really depends on a person’s situation though, and the best way to ensure that you are getting back every cent of what you’re owed is by consulting a tax professional.
Q: Out of curiosity, what was the largest refund you’ve ever secured for a client?
Personally, the largest rebate I’ve secured for someone was €33,000. Without disclosing too much about their circumstances, it was a married couple with a couple of children, but they hadn’t been jointly assessed, so we went back 4 years and uncovered all their credits from that time. They were delighted when they got the call, I don’t think they were expecting it at all. Most people don’t realise how much they’re owed.
Q: Other than customer satisfaction, how does Irish Tax Rebates benefit from getting clients their maximum rebate?
Like any good business, Irish Tax Rebates charge a fee for our service; however, if we don’t obtain a refund for the client, we don’t charge any fees.
If the client is entitled to a refund, Irish Tax Rebates charge 7% plus VAT, which is the most competitive rate in the market. This is one of the lowest fees out there, and customers are walking away with 92% of their refunds, which can still be significantly more money than what they would receive from applying on their own. There are other companies out there that are charging up to 15%, so it’s important to be aware of the fee structure of a tax rebate company before you engage their services.
Q: What job or industry usually benefits the most from your service?
We offer our services to anyone in any occupation, and there are lots of tax credits based on profession; for instance, there are many professions that are entitled to uniform allowance. People based in engineering, construction, teaching, healthcare are all entitled to different tax credits and so they are often unaware of their entitlements.
I would say healthcare is the largest sector where employees are entitled to significant refunds but rarely apply for them. They’re usually so busy working and looking after others that they don’t have the time to investigate the allowances they’re entitled to. It’s tough too because they may have gone years without applying for their money back, but we can only claim their rebates from the last 4 years.
Q: Why don’t the Revenue Commissioners automatically refund people?
Despite appearances, the Revenue Commissioners don’t know every detail about every person’s situation – this is why they ask you to declare your additional (non-PAYE) income and, in the same vein, why they need you to claim the credits that are specifically relevant to you.
Revenue won’t be able to put every piece of your life together; for example, if you have two children in college you may be eligible for a tax refund, but the Revenue Commissioners might not know that they’re your children. Similarly, they may not be aware of every medical expense you’ve paid this year, so it’s important that you claim them to get back every bit of what you’re owed there.
They’re not trying to pull the wool over people’s eyes, it’s just not possible for them to know everything! Now that they’re moving toward a self-declaration system, so it’s even more important to have a qualified accountant to help you out.
Q: Which tax reliefs are the most overlooked by people applying for their own rebates?
Medical expenses and the uniform allowance are the most overlooked, especially because there are so many professions that are eligible for these credits.
With medical expenses, there is no threshold for this credit so from the first euro you spend, you can get 20% back on everything from GP visits to prescriptions to physiotherapy and even non-routine dental.
Q: How do you think the Government can use (or is using) taxes to help the average person?
Tax credits are a really important tool for the Government in helping to lower peoples’ taxes and to support the average person financially, especially during and after the pandemic. Tax credits can be used to target specific areas or economic sectors that are struggling or that could use the extra support. For example, the Save and Spend Credit that is being rolled out has been designed to specifically inject revenue into the hospitality sector, which suffered a lot this summer. Joint assessment is very helpful to married couples, even the flat-rate expenses can be applied widely to taxpayers.
In the coming years, the government could introduce new tax credits to help demographics or sectors that have been most affected or that need extra support. They could possibly bring in a scheme around working from home to encourage people to work safely or to help those people that are forced to work from home. To me, this seems like the best way to target the people in need or industries that need a boost.
Q: Finally, why should people use a company like Irish Tax Rebates, and why Irish Tax Rebates specifically?
The amount any one person is refunded will always depend their specific situation – anyone could be eligible for any number of credits depending on their circumstances, and most people don’t know each and every credit that Revenue offers. You have to be proactive in order to obtain everything you are entitled to, that’s just how the system works.
The tax rate in Ireland is fairly high and people in this country pay a lot of tax each year. It’s up to the taxpayer to claim the credits they’re entitled to and to review the accuracy of the tax being paid through payroll. So, it’s always best to have a professional look at your taxes because there could be any number of credits waiting for you, even if you don’t think you’re owed anything.
Irish Tax Rebates has been around for a long time, and we have a really dedicated team of professionals who are willing to help our clients with anything they need. On top of that, we have a very knowledgeable customer service team who are usually able to answer any customer questions right away, and if they don’t have the answer, they know where to look to find it. With Irish Tax Rebates you can rest easy knowing that you’re getting a full review and your maximum rebate. We’re fully Irish-owned, we’re friendly, we’re efficient and we’re quick to get your money back into your account.
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Each year, people living and working in Ireland are due tax rebates but don’t claim them – leaving millions of euros in the pockets of Revenue. We sat down with Gerry Scully, senior accountant at Irish Tax Rebates to discuss the current tax climate and get the inside scoop on how tax rebate companies can help the average person.
Gerry Scully is a senior accountant at Irish Tax Rebates and has been working in the field for over 10 years.
Q: Irish Tax Rebates has been an established tax service for over 20 years. Tell us a bit about its beginnings and why it was set up in the first place.
Irish Tax Rebates was established because Martin Brennan, an experienced senior accountant, saw the opportunity to provide a professional accounting service to people who might not ordinarily engage an accountant. Generally, these are PAYE workers who don’t necessarily want or need to think about their taxes – we wanted to provide them with the chance to get back the money they are owed from the Revenue Commissioners without needing to engage an accountant full-time, which can be quite costly.
Over the years, we’ve gone from Martin working on his own to a full team of 30 tax experts. This can be attributed to maintaining our focus on the customers – providing them with the best possible service, focusing on the accountants reviewing our client’s taxes and supported by a brilliant customer service team.
Q: On average, how much money do your clients get back?
Returns vary from person to person. If the client hasn’t been reviewed before, we can actually go as far back as 4 years to get the maximum rebate possible. Typically, you’d be looking at an average refund of €500-600 for a single taxpayer, moving up to an average of around €1,000 for a married couple. It really depends on a person’s situation though, and the best way to ensure that you are getting back every cent of what you’re owed is by consulting a tax professional.
Q: Out of curiosity, what was the largest refund you’ve ever secured for a client?
Personally, the largest rebate I’ve secured for someone was €33,000. Without disclosing too much about their circumstances, it was a married couple with a couple of children, but they hadn’t been jointly assessed, so we went back 4 years and uncovered all their credits from that time. They were delighted when they got the call, I don’t think they were expecting it at all. Most people don’t realise how much they’re owed.
Q: Other than customer satisfaction, how does Irish Tax Rebates benefit from getting clients their maximum rebate?
Like any good business, Irish Tax Rebates charge a fee for our service; however, if we don’t obtain a refund for the client, we don’t charge any fees.
If the client is entitled to a refund, Irish Tax Rebates charge 7% plus VAT, which is the most competitive rate in the market. This is one of the lowest fees out there, and customers are walking away with 92% of their refunds, which can still be significantly more money than what they would receive from applying on their own. There are other companies out there that are charging up to 15%, so it’s important to be aware of the fee structure of a tax rebate company before you engage their services.
Q: What job or industry usually benefits the most from your service?
We offer our services to anyone in any occupation, and there are lots of tax credits based on profession; for instance, there are many professions that are entitled to uniform allowance. People based in engineering, construction, teaching, healthcare are all entitled to different tax credits and so they are often unaware of their entitlements.
I would say healthcare is the largest sector where employees are entitled to significant refunds but rarely apply for them. They’re usually so busy working and looking after others that they don’t have the time to investigate the allowances they’re entitled to. It’s tough too because they may have gone years without applying for their money back, but we can only claim their rebates from the last 4 years.
Q: Why don’t the Revenue Commissioners automatically refund people?
Despite appearances, the Revenue Commissioners don’t know every detail about every person’s situation – this is why they ask you to declare your additional (non-PAYE) income and, in the same vein, why they need you to claim the credits that are specifically relevant to you.
Revenue won’t be able to put every piece of your life together; for example, if you have two children in college you may be eligible for a tax refund, but the Revenue Commissioners might not know that they’re your children. Similarly, they may not be aware of every medical expense you’ve paid this year, so it’s important that you claim them to get back every bit of what you’re owed there.
They’re not trying to pull the wool over people’s eyes, it’s just not possible for them to know everything! Now that they’re moving toward a self-declaration system, so it’s even more important to have a qualified accountant to help you out.
Q: Which tax reliefs are the most overlooked by people applying for their own rebates?
Medical expenses and the uniform allowance are the most overlooked, especially because there are so many professions that are eligible for these credits.
With medical expenses, there is no threshold for this credit so from the first euro you spend, you can get 20% back on everything from GP visits to prescriptions to physiotherapy and even non-routine dental.
Q: How do you think the Government can use (or is using) taxes to help the average person?
Tax credits are a really important tool for the Government in helping to lower peoples’ taxes and to support the average person financially, especially during and after the pandemic. Tax credits can be used to target specific areas or economic sectors that are struggling or that could use the extra support. For example, the Save and Spend Credit that is being rolled out has been designed to specifically inject revenue into the hospitality sector, which suffered a lot this summer. Joint assessment is very helpful to married couples, even the flat-rate expenses can be applied widely to taxpayers.
In the coming years, the government could introduce new tax credits to help demographics or sectors that have been most affected or that need extra support. They could possibly bring in a scheme around working from home to encourage people to work safely or to help those people that are forced to work from home. To me, this seems like the best way to target the people in need or industries that need a boost.
Q: Finally, why should people use a company like Irish Tax Rebates, and why Irish Tax Rebates specifically?
The amount any one person is refunded will always depend their specific situation – anyone could be eligible for any number of credits depending on their circumstances, and most people don’t know each and every credit that Revenue offers. You have to be proactive in order to obtain everything you are entitled to, that’s just how the system works.
The tax rate in Ireland is fairly high and people in this country pay a lot of tax each year. It’s up to the taxpayer to claim the credits they’re entitled to and to review the accuracy of the tax being paid through payroll. So, it’s always best to have a professional look at your taxes because there could be any number of credits waiting for you, even if you don’t think you’re owed anything.
Irish Tax Rebates has been around for a long time, and we have a really dedicated team of professionals who are willing to help our clients with anything they need. On top of that, we have a very knowledgeable customer service team who are usually able to answer any customer questions right away, and if they don’t have the answer, they know where to look to find it. With Irish Tax Rebates you can rest easy knowing that you’re getting a full review and your maximum rebate. We’re fully Irish-owned, we’re friendly, we’re efficient and we’re quick to get your money back into your account.
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