How do I pay my taxes online?

The Revenue’s website is one of the best public sector online facilities we have. There are benefits from paying tax online if you are a business, and benefits for all from registering for the Revenue’s online services, which are continuously being updated as part of its pledge to use the Internet to improve its customer service levels.

Employee/personal services. As an employee, PAYE and PRSI contributions are deducted from your pay by your employer, so you do not need to worry about paying your tax online, unless you are declaring a second or additional income. However, there are still many benefits to using the Revenue’s online service for personal users, called PAYE Anytime. To access PAYE Anytime, you must first register online at www.revenue.ie. In response, you will be sent a PIN that you use along with your PPSN to access the service. You can then view your personal tax record and start to manage your tax affairs quickly, easily and without cost and this is where benefits can be gained. Transactions available online include claiming a range of tax credits, re-allocating tax credits between you and your spouse, applying for refunds such as health expenses, requesting a review of tax liability for previous years and, as mentioned above, declaring additional income. A successful application for previously unclaimed tax credits, such as rent credit, can result in savings and it is worth checking that you are claiming all the credits for which you qualify.

Business/self-employed services. Businesses and the self-employed can access online services through ROS, the Revenue Online Service for business users, which is also available from www.revenue.ie. ROS can be used to file and pay over 21 different types of taxes online, including income tax, corporation tax, PAYE Employers, Vehicle Registration and VAT. Payments can be made by debit instruction, laser card or, in the case of outstanding income tax, online banking. Businesses can assign different staff members with varying levels of access using the ‘access control system’, which is hosted by ROS but controlled by the business’ appointed administrator (e.g. a financial controller or partner) or an agent.  The advantages of filing and paying taxes online include improved customer service, faster turnaround time, access to calculation facilities, improved accuracy and audit trails and reduced processing costs.

Other services. In addition to the above, the Revenue’s online services also include the VRT (Vehicle Registration Tax) Calculator for working out the open market selling prices for VRT purposes and the amount of VRT payable; a facility for applying online for a tax clearance certificate or to verify one; registration for mortgage-interest relief; and a secure email communications system for contacting the Revenue. Desktop applications are also being developed, which users can download to their PC and access offline to help manage tax affairs. For ROS users, there is the P30 application to help manage PAYE/PRSI returns by issuing a reminder when a return is due and retrieving information automatically, and the VAT3 application, which is also reminder-based. This helps to avoid penalties or interest charges relating to unpaid tax.

The Pay and File deadline for self-assessed income tax payers is October 31st. By using ROS to both pay and file online, you'll benefit from the extended deadline of 14 November 2013 and it's the simple, easy way to pay and file. Register for ROS now on revenue.ie or contact your agent straight away.