If you only earn money from savings (bank interest) and paid employment this is fairly easy, though looking at the tax forms you might not believe that...
First, at the end of the year you recieve two documents a P60 and a P11D. If you have no benefits in kind (company car, medical insurance etc) you may not recieve the latter. This will be the information you need from your employment.
Your bank will send you a tax certificate for your interest recieved. You need that too.
Now add up the total figure on the P11D, the Gross Salary (including commission, tips etc) on the P60 and the Interest Rec'd. That is your taxable income.
Now start deducting... Depending on the year the rates are different, you can get them from this page
http://www.ir.gov.uk/rates/it.htm
Deduct 4615, multiply this figure by 0 = 0
Deduct 1960 multiply this by 10% =
Deduct either the balance or 28539 and multiply by 22%
Take the balance and multiply by 40%.
Add these up - This is the tax you should have paid.
Back to the P60, their is a box on it showing tax paid. Deduct this
The Bank interest tax cert - Deduct this.
The balance you are left with is tax owed (if positive or due back to you if negative).
Thats a basic tax return. If you pay to a personal pension plan (not a company one) that adds a little complication. If you are a basic rate tax payer only (22%) then you can ignore the bank interest once you have established that your total earnings (pay and interest) is not over the 40% band (so take it out of the earned and the taxed.
If you are a member of a professional organisation that is kinda necessary for your job then you can deduct these membership fees from your gross salary (but you need to inform the IR going forward).
I think thats the main quirks for your average joe, it can get horribly complex, but this should see if you are in the right ball park. Remember if this year you are owed tax and claim it, check that in previous years you don't owe them. Opening this year could cause them to review the position in previous years.
It's easier to show this in a table or an excel spreadsheet, but neither works on a forum.
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Tax question.
and owed some. My collage has paid someone to check weather they have paid too much tax and was owed £300 (quiet a lot) 
the company that checks weather you have takes a % ( £100 ) of what they where owed. 
With out having to pay somone? 
>
Look out the window...
you guys want to leave it weather I'm wright or Wrong 
