Revenue Declaration Rent a room

Evian_Water

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For the last three years I have rented a room in my home under the rent a room scheme.

From my reading at the time this was tax free up to €14k. The rent I have collected has been significantly under this threshold and collected via bank transfer.

I recently noticed that there is a section on Revenue "MyAccount" to declare this amount.

Up until this point I was not aware this was necessary and am now concerned that if I declare this money I will be hit with a fine/late fee or even made to pay tax.

Can I ask if others have experience in declaring this information to revenue? Do others think I am likely to be hit by a late declaration fine.

In my opinion it was not clear a couple of years ago.
 
No, there’ll be no consequences. Just do things correctly going forward, now that you know.
 
Just be sure you can back up all the money paid into your a'c with paperwork, etc and that every cent of it is traceable.
 
Thanks very much for the replies.

Yes every cent is traceable as it all went into our main bank account.

Would it be advisable enter this amount for the last couple of years on the revenue website or simply declare it going forward?
 
What if the rent received for a room in your home was paid in cash? Would Revenue have a problem with that?
 
Not unless there was a question about whether the exemption limit had been exceeded. So unless the rent for a room goes beyond €1k a month, that’s a no. Always best to have a paper trail or be paid by bank transfer though, leaving Revenue aside (avoids potential for he said/she said about when or whether a payment was made).
 
HI.I am a retired PAYE worker and i have availed of rent a room scheme for 10 years now for 3 licensees and Rtb does not apply to me. I do my own tax returns One of the girls wants proof that i am registered under RTB.as SUSI wants it re her application for a college grant and i would like to help her.I contacted Susi and explained this to them but they still want rtb proof.I have just one small simple question Does anyone know if i ask revenue for a note confirming that i use rent a room scheme and that RTB does not apply to me will they respond and help or any other ideas.[They [Revenue]are a bit difficult to reach at the moment and their offices seem to be closed.Thanks Desmond.
 
I'm not an expert in this area, but:

The first thing that you need to recognise is that you are dealing with a bureaucracy and the person processing the application has to blindly follow the rules which are as follows (taken from the SUSI site):

The documentation accepted as evidence of living independently is any of the following;
  • A letter confirming that the address is registered with Residential Tenancies Board (RTB);
  • A Local Authority lease agreement or a letter confirming your rental under the Rental Accommodation Scheme (RAS) or any Government housing scheme/arrangement. Private housing lease agreements will not be accepted;
  • A letter on headed paper from a Rental Agency confirming your tenancy;
  • A letter confirming the receipt and period of Rent Allowance, Mortgage Interest Supplement or Housing Assistance Payment (HAP);
  • A utility bill in your own name, for example; landline telephone, fixed broadband, gas, electricity, cable/satellite television bill, home heating bills, waste bills, mortgage statements and/or property tax letters. SUSI does not accept mobile telephone bills. If the utility bills in the household are in your spouse’s name, please provide your marriage certificate with the utility bill. If you are co-habiting, we will accept utility bills in your partner’s name covering the relevant period together with correspondence e.g. bank statement/Statement of Liability issued to the applicant at the same address and covering the relevant period; and/or
  • Official documentation posted to you at this address and relating to your residence there. For example, a letter from the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection confirming Rent Allowance at this address. Please Note: we do not accept bank statements alone for this purpose.
Documentation relating to an address that is merely a correspondence address is not sufficient. Documentation must be connected with your residence at that address.

...

If you cannot supply any of the above documents to confirm independent residency and you proceed with your application as an independent student, your application will be refused. You can appeal the decision and your case will be reviewed by SUSI’s Appeals Officer. They may seek further information, for example, proof of your parents’ address and proof of your address to satisfy that both parties are living separately. However there is no guarantee that an appeal will lead to the decision being overturned
.

So, it may be a case that if she can't produce any of the listed items she will have to go to appeal to reach the point of having a person with any actual decision making powers assess her case. In that regard, going to Revenue is pointless at this stage, or really, at any stage. Only you can confirm that you have licensees under the rent a room scheme.
 
Good morning.Torblednam.Thanks so much for your help.Would in addition to a conformation letter from me re. licensees and perhaps a simple rental agreement between her and i headed "rent a room scheme scheme" be any help.She is with me for 4 years now and also she has signed her first name in a book every week when when they are leaving the rent for me on a Friday and i can also give her copies of this.Re proof living independently i think she would be able to get copies of official docs.posted to her here at my address.[all the bills are in my name]
 
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