High income child benefit charge - clarification required

Hi, I really hope to get some answers here as have so far spent hours researching and phoning HMRC with no luck. My salary last year was £52.5k. I paid into my workplace pension £250/mth. This is from my gross pay as a salary sacrifice. I’ve struggled to get clarification whether I can deduct my pension contributions to arrive at adjusted net income. Literally spent hours on the phone to HMRC being passed from pillar to post with no one have any answers. I gave up to save my sanity and attempted to fill in self assessment form. My income was £52.5 plus benefits in kind £2.5k, my adjusted net income being £55k. I received £1880 child benefits and so was expecting 50% tax charge of around £900. But after filling my self assessment form, I was told my charge is £1,200!!! Could someone possibly explain what might have gone wrong pls? I haven’t submitted the form as hoping to get some answers pls. Many thanks

Hi,

If the pension contributions are under salary sacrifice then already taken from gross wage so would not be deducted again under adjusted net income. We would need to view the calculation to check why the balance is higher than expected. If you submit the calculation and allow 3 working days to process to HMRC systems we can then check this for.

You can contact our Self Assessment team at:

Self Assessment: general enquiries

Thank you.