Workaround for botched HMRC student loan repayment calculations
HMRC systems cannot differentiate between certain types of income which could lead to an overpayment of student loan deductions. What’s the solution?
If you make student loan repayments and you’re also within the self-assessment regime, you’ll be aware that any student loan repayments due on additional (typically non-PAYE) income are calculated and collected via your tax return. This would ordinarily be straightforward, but HMRC has confirmed that, despite student loan deductions not being due on benefits-in-kind, its systems are incorrectly including such income in the calculations. This means that affected individuals will end up paying higher student loan payments than is necessary. Therefore, if you’re in self-assessment and you have payrolled benefits in kind, such as a company car or private medical insurance, you will need to follow HMRC's guidance to ensure the student loans figure is calculated correctly. The current workaround is in place until shortcomings in HMRC systems can be addressed.
Related Topics
-
Don’t overlook the partial exemption annual adjustment
As VAT year ends approach for many businesses, HMRC’s guidance highlights the need to carry out the partial exemption annual adjustment. This is often overlooked but can have a direct impact on recoverable VAT. What do you need to check?
-
MONTHLY FOCUS: USING YOUR COMPANY TO DIVERT INCOME TO FAMILY MEMBERS
Operating a business through a limited company is less tax-efficient than it used to be. However, it can still be a very useful way of diverting income to other family members. In this Monthly Focus, we look at the methods, and associated considerations, involved in doing this.
-
Could HMRC recategorise your subcontractors?
You use subcontractors for all your building projects and almost always the same individuals. You’ve heard that this could increase the risk of HMRC recategorising them as employees. What steps can you take to counter this?


This website uses both its own and third-party cookies to analyze our services and navigation on our website in order to improve its contents (analytical purposes: measure visits and sources of web traffic). The legal basis is the consent of the user, except in the case of basic cookies, which are essential to navigate this website.