Home Home
  • Skip to content
  • Large text
  • Switch back to default page layout
  • Accessibility
  • Contact us
  • Site map
  • Home

Tax careers – your future?
Find out about exciting career opportunities in the world of tax and how to get started.

Tax for student money advisers
How you can help students with tax issues: guidance and training materials for advisers.

  • Tax essentials
  • Working
  • Volunteering and training
  • Tax credits and benefits
  • Tax refunds
  • Types of student
  • Going abroad
  • Other income
  • Student loans

Summer vacation work for students

Summer vacation is here! But hold on – how are you going to finance your lifestyle over the summer?

Get a job (or two)

If you are going to be working in the UK, check your tax carefully – you do not want to end up paying more tax than you need to. If this is your first job since 6 April 2014 (when the new tax year started), then your employer will only take tax from you if you earn more than the ‘tax-free’ amount. Each individual has a tax-free personal allowance of £10,000 for the tax year 2014/15 – but the tax-free amount is spread evenly over the year. So at the end of month 1, you could have earned up to £833 and paid no tax; by the end of month 3, June 2014, you could earn up to £2,500 without paying tax and so on. But this only works if your tax code is correct. If it is not 1000L (which is code for the full tax-free personal allowance of £10,000 in a tax year), then check our website to ensure it is correct and if not see how you might get it changed.

If you have more than one job at a time, normally HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) allocate your full personal allowance to one job and tell your employer to deduct basic rate tax (20%) from your other job, by applying a BR code. This normally works well if you have both jobs throughout the year, but if you only work for part of the year, then you may find you do not use your full allowance in one job, but have still paid tax in the other.

So what can you do? If one job gives income over the whole year, then work out roughly how much income that will give you. For example, if you work in a bar at the weekends and earn about £40 a week, you would expect to earn around £2,000 over the year. You could ask HMRC to allocate, say, £2,500 of your allowances against that source. That would leave £7,500 of allowances to be set against another source such as a summer job. Bear in mind that that allowance is still spread evenly over the year, but by the end of September (month 6) you could earn up to £3,750 from your summer job and still pay no tax.

There is more information on contacting HMRC to split your personal allowance over jobs on our multiple jobs factsheet, and if you have already overpaid tax there is also help in getting a tax refund.

Working overseas

You may find yourself paying tax in the country you are working in. If so, you will need to take local advice to see whether you can claim any of it back – HMRC will not repay any overseas tax to you! Do remember you need to keep a note of any overseas income you receive as it forms part of your total income. But it will not be taxed twice as any overseas tax you pay on it will be set against your UK tax bill. You will need to keep evidence of the tax paid overseas as well as your earnings. There is more information on our 'going abroad' section.

What if you cannot get a job?

Unfortunately most state benefits are not available to students over the summer vacations and may only be claimed once their courses have ended. There are some exceptions, though. If eligible, you will continue to be able to claim some benefits. See the ‘tax credits and benefits’ section of our website for more information.

Volunteering

You can get good experience for your CV by volunteering or working as an intern for various organisations. Our website gives more information. Any expenses reimbursed to you in connection with these roles should not be liable to income tax provided they are within certain limits and provided that you genuinely incurred them.

Most importantly, enjoy the vacation so you are ready for the challenges ahead.

(03-07-2014)

News

  • Any questions? I have almost finished repaying my student loan – how do I avoid overpaying?
  • Any questions? I’m a student moving home to start my new course – will I have to pay council tax?
  • Welsh income tax begins
  • Any questions? What is the personal allowance?
  • Any questions? Will my family still get tax credits if I am a student?
  • Any questions? National Minimum Wage for apprentices
  • Any questions? National Minimum Wage for apprentices
  • July 2017 newsletter
  • May 2017 newsletter
  • April 2017 newsletter
  • March 2017 newsletter
  • January 2017 newsletter
  • Postgraduate Doctoral Loans
  • December 2016 newsletter
  • November 2016 newsletter
  • Help design a new service for tax appeals
  • Students – how much tax are you paying?
  • I am a student – do I need to pay council tax?
  • Welcome - the National Living Wage!
  • HMRC to start sending out Scottish taxpayer notification letters
  • Autumn Statement – ‘security first’, but many low-income workers lose out
  • Do you live in Scotland? New Tax Guide for Students guidance available
  • Working during the summer – can you claim a repayment of tax?
  • NMW campaign – a chance for employers in the hair & beauty sector to ensure they comply with the law
  • Starting work for the first time? New Tax Guide for Students guidance available
  • Tax tips if you are working this summer
  • A mixed bag of a Summer Budget – but many low-income workers lose out
  • HM Revenue & Customs withdraw all 0845 numbers
  • Time is running out to claim your tax refund!
  • Are you a landlord? Happy that you have your tax affairs in order?
  • Finished working at your Christmas job? Make sure you have not paid too much tax.
  • Changes for the self-employed
  • Tax returns – do you need to complete one?
  • The Autumn Statement – how will the measures announced affect students and apprentices?
  • Celebrating Small Business Saturday, 6 December 2014
  • PAYE tax calculations – be sure to check yours
  • Claiming for repayment of tax when you have stopped working
  • Spending a year of your course abroad?
  • Increase in the National Minimum Wage
  • If you are disabled, make sure you claim all your benefits
  • Moving into new accommodation – what do you need to know about council tax?
  • Is something phishy going on?
  • Jobseeker’s Allowance – can you claim this summer?
  • Do you know when you start repaying your student loan and how much you repay?
  • Apply for your student loan now!
  • Are you being paid the National Minimum Wage?
  • Summer vacation work for students
  • Make sure you keep more of your wages
  • Claim your tax refund or lose it forever!
  • A Budget for earners and savers – but what of the lowest paid?
  • Press Release: Raise in threshold good but money could better help elsewhere, say charity
  • Tax scams can cost you – protect your cash
  • Follow us on Twittter
  • Follow us on Facebook
  • About this site
  • Contact us
  • Privacy and cookies
  • Legal
  • News
  • Links

© 2021 Low Incomes Tax Reform Group of the Chartered Institute of Taxation. Registered charity number 1037771
Web design by MID