Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 21 May 2024
77. Deputy James O'Connor asked the Minister for Finance the total number of rent tax credit claims made in Cork for each of the years 2022, 2023 and to date in 2024; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22688/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Rent Tax Credit, as provided for in section 473B of the Taxes Consolidation Act 1997 (TCA 1997), was introduced by the Finance Act 2022 and may be claimed in respect of qualifying rent paid in 2022 and subsequent years to end-2025.
For the tax years 2022 and 2023, the maximum value of the credit is €1,000 per year in the case of a jointly assessed couple, and €500 in all other cases. Finance Act 2023 increased the value of the credit for the 2024 and 2025 tax years to a maximum of €1,500 for a jointly assessed couple and €750 in all other cases.
I am advised by Revenue that the Rent Tax Credit statistics currently available relate only to claims by PAYE taxpayers.
Claims in respect of the 2022 and 2023 years of assessment can be made by PAYE taxpayers by submitting an Income Tax return for that year. For claims relating to 2024, PAYE taxpayers have the option of claiming the Rent Tax Credit due to them either as rent is incurred or at the end of the year through their Income Tax return.
Self-assessed taxpayers claim the credit in the year following the payment of rent through their annual Income Tax return Data on these claims for 2022 is not yet available. Revenue advise me that it will become available in the coming months, once the self-assessed tax returns for that year are fully analysed.
Rent Tax Credit claims are made are on a ‘taxpayer unit’ basis. A taxpayer unit is either an individual with any personal status who is singly assessed or a couple in a marriage or civil partnership who have elected for joint assessment.
Data for claims relating to PAYE taxpayers for Cork county are as follows:
• 30,749 taxpayer unit claims for 2022,
• 26,484 taxpayer unit claims for 2023,
• 5,416 taxpayer unit claims for 2024.
This gives a total of 62,649 claims for all years (as of May 7) for Cork county.
