Actor on JS Allow. wants avoid Emergency Tax on pay for 1 month acting job

I am an actor on Job Seekers Allowance. Most Acting work I have done has been 'profit share' (i.e. enough to cover your expenses) with a couple of properly paid gigs. Whenever I earn I tell Social Welfare and they make the appropriate adjustment to my Job Seekers Allowance. Recently I got one days work on a film - the film company put me on their payroll for one day the net effect of which meant that I was hit with emergency tax. My Tax Clearance Cert has expired and needs to be renewed. I have now been offered ( I've accepted ) another paid part with a theatre company. I must either provide them with a P45 (I do have one from the above mentioned film company, as they posted a P45 with the emergency taxed reduced payment). The theatre company state they will deduct emergency tax unless I provide a P45 or a Tax Exemption Certificate whichever is applicable. Any thoughts on avoiding Emergency Tax?
Of course I can claim the Emergency Tax later when I get my renewed Tax Clearance Cert and other paperwork for the Tax Office done - but that sort of stuff takes me a long time to sort out. In the meantime I will have told the Soc Welfare of the job and they will adjust my allowance accordingly - but I will be out of pocket due to the emergency tax.
By the way, I worked as a PAYE worker since 1980 but lost my job in the early days of the current crisis.

Also, unlike the film company the theatre company give the option of treating you as Self Employed

You say you have a P45 so provide it in order to avoid emergency tax.
Re self employed, I would stay as an employee as if you are in and out of work - which you seem to be - it's easier to dip in and out of the social welfare system.

Hi Julius
Not familiar with Self employed but with ordinary new employees to any firm the process is usually;
For the first 4 weeksemergancy tax with reduced token tax credit of I think €30'
then no tax credit for next four weeks and
after week 8, all income taxed at higher rate of 41%.
This is so new employees get their butts in gear and get tax cert to new employer asap. Tax office's are usually grand and very quick with issuing certs so give them a call.
Also if there is an issue with your previous employment or tax history, they will usually issue you with a Week 1 Cert, which just means that tax credits are not cumulative but on a week by week basis, any overpayment can be reclaimed after the year end.
And id agree with Niceoneted, stay as an employee if you can.
Hope that was clearer than mud

Actor on Job Seekers - Employee or Self-Employed - Which is best?

Thanks Niceoneted and you too Allison - I'll ask them to treat me as an employee for the few weeks involved. I had opted today (and signed form to that effect) to be treated as Self-Employed but I'll ask them now to ignore that. I'll suffer the loss of the emergency tax and then after the shows run is over I'll go into the tax office and get things up to date. Thanks Again

I think it is more beneficial to work as an employee and much easier to deal with SW by just keeping them informed of the days that you are working or not working. Always keep them informed.

Ask you new employer for his Registered No. and ring the tax office telling them that you are starting work on (date) with x Reg. No........
Good luck

Black Sheep said:

I think it is more beneficial to work as an employee

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That is a very good point. If the SW regard you as self-employed, it may be harder to get social welfare payments.