Mums Finance

Using a search engine effectively is the best way of getting the results you want and it is all in using the correct keywords. Have a think about what you are searching for, what options you want to look through and then consider which words will throw up the best choices. If you are looking for a job in nursing you would type in ‘nursing’ – ‘nursing jobs’ – ‘nursing careers’.

Don’t forget too your area or the area you wish to work in – say ‘Philadelphia job search‘ would work well if you are looking in the Philadelphia region. Area is always very important to make a part of your search.

One last thing some search engines are better than others and are better at finding particular jobs in specific geographical areas.

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My 22 year old son has just bought his very first car and he is over the moon about it. Okay, so it is not much to look at but he saved every penny he earned for two years and will be spending all his spare time for months to come fixing it up to his requirements. I am very proud of him for being so focused and saving for something he wanted very badly. Now he is learning the downside is the insurance side of things – it is very expensive for a guy his age but as we all know car insurance is a legal requirement for ALL car owners. Basically there are two types of cover you can opt for – fully comprehensive or third party cover. Take advantage of as many free insurance quotes as possible and of course don’t take the first you get.

The price you will eventually pay not only depends on your driving history but may also be affected by the area that you live in, your age (definitely) and your sex (absolutely). If you haven’t made a claim on your car insurance, or your current policy is up for renewal, you can switch to a cheaper provider. I know it is generally more expensive for young men than young women drivers but consider the higher incidence of accidents involving young males and there you have the reasons why.

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TAXPAYERS caught up in the coding notice fiasco have been told they must work out for themselves if their code is correct but tax experts argue that most people have little hope of understanding the codes. Pensioners, whose codes are especially complex, can have particular problems.

Danger signs are codes such as:

• BR – you will be taxed at the basic 20pc rate on all income because the tax-free allowance of £6,475 has been taken away;

• DO – you will be taxed at the higher 40pc rate on all of your income; and

• OT – usually for pensioners. You will be taxed at the basic rate on all income without being given a tax-free allowance.

Errors all taxpayers should watch for:

1) THE PERSONAL ALLOWANCE IS WRONG: This should be £6,475 for most people aged under 65; £9,490 for those aged 65 to 74; and £9,640 for those aged 75 and over.

2) THE TAX CODE IS WRONG: This results in some or all of the personal allowance being taken. Most common are the BR, OT or DO codes listed above.

3) DUAL CODES: People get more than one coding notice for the same source of income. The first may be too high, the second too low, but neither is right.

4) AN EXTRA ‘1′: This mysteriously appears at the front of someone’s salary, putting up their income by £100,000 and resulting in the removal of all their tax allowances.

5) RECORDS OF ONE-OFF TAX PAYMENTS ARE LOST: As a result, HMRC reduces the code for the next tax year (2010-11), so the money will be collected a second time directly from their salary. In one case, it tried to collect money which was paid in 2005.

6) COMPANY CAR TAX: Data may be two or three years out of date. This can mean an employee being taxed for the wrong car or for the wrong amount on the right car.

7) BENEFITS IN KIND and allowable expenses might be missing or out of date. This could result in too much or too little tax being taken.

8 OTHER INCOME is deducted from the tax allowance, such as untaxed savings interest, but the figure is wrong.

9) THOSE WHO HAVE MOVED JOBS find their tax code relates to a post they may have left two or three years ago.

This last point (9) is a very common occurrence and has recently happened to me; I worked like a trojan for Tesco over the Xmas period to discover my monthly pay was roughly half what it should have been – Tesco had me down under a tax code which saw me paying the highest amount of tax possible. I have had this corrected and now have the correct tax code however what about the two and a half months of tax that I overpaid – almost £180 worth? I assumed I would be in line for a cheque but having enquired I now have to wait until at least April to get my money back. Funny, HMRC are very quick to take what is due to them…but slow enough when it is time to pay it out.

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