I am looking for a definite answer to a question about tax. I am a resident of Basel land and work here, but my partner and children are still in the UK, from day one I have been taxed in band A0, is this correct or should I be taxed in band B2 as despite not being married I still have two children even though they are still in the UK. It seems on here there is a mix of some who benefit from the lower taxation and some that dont.

hmmmm tricky one i had the same problem with my kids in the uk , but now as im paying for the care of my children i was able to clain the correct tax code b3 as i had three girls , you will also be able to claim part of the child credit for them , you will have to go to your gemeinde and register with them your kids and show them the birth certs , you will also have to provide them with proof of uk child allowance so they can give you the correct % ( i get around 380 chf for mine )

hope this helps a bit

ps , your HR depo should also be able to help

shane

Thanks for the answer Shane, I seem to be going round in an ever increasing circle with this one. The truth is I have two daughters from my previous marriage and two sons with my current partner. I have been to the Geminde and tried to register them but dont seem to get anywhere, I have been to HR who say they have spoken to the tax office whos reply was that the children have to live with me for me to be able to claim the tax reductions. I had given up on getting B4 and was happy to settle with B2.

When you say you pay for care for the children do I take it you mena a maintenance agreement, because I also have that for my daughters but again I am just being told that because they dont live with me I cant claim.

In terms of the child allowance I have submitted the E411 for proof of payment in the UK and should hopefully start to recieve the difference between the Uk and swiss rates next month

Hi there,

What was the outcome of this please?

I have been chasing HR for a year now, I finally get a reply back from AHV saying I must complete a E411 form, the money goes to my ex in UK (who looks afer my son) and the difference comes to me.

Any advice?

Cheers

Hi country mouse,

From the tax point of view it depends on the canton, some allow non resident spouses and children to be considered, some don't. Baselland dont so I have lost out, however the tax office told me to transfer all money back home via my bank account under the heading of maintenance, that way it can be offset against your tax bill at the end of the year.

The E411 is for the child allowance (kinderzulage), although this seems subjective, the child benefit office in the UK have completed and forwarded the E411 for my current partner and children and as such I have claimed the differential between the UK and swiss rates, however they are currently refusing to do the same for my children with my ex wife although the Gefak have written to them again asking for an explanation.

There are links on here if you search under E411, you can find both the swiss and english form. Complete part A in duplicate on the swiss form and give it back to your HR department who will then forward it to the Gefak on your behalf. The only issue I have at the moment is that they are not paying it monthly but have said I need to request it every 6 months and get lump sum payments (no so good for tax).

Hi there,

I am clear on the tax point of view, I completed my tax return recently and offset my CSA payments.

However, re the E411, my son and his mum live in the UK (we are seperated), I believe she receives the usual, CSA payments from me, tax credits as she's working and the child benefit etc.

Do you think it's worthwhile submitting this form? Sounds like I wouldn't receive anything. I estimate my ex receives £250CSA, £150WTC, £70CB per month, so the Swiss differential would be lower than this surely?

Thanks

Country mouse, The E411 only considers the kinderzulage (child benefit in the UK), it will pay the difference between the UK child benefit and (if you are still in Aargau) 200 Chf's, this equates to approximately 40Chf's per month. It only really becomes a benefit if you have more than one child in the UK as the second and subsequent children recieve a lower level of child benefit.

Ah I see, well every penny helps, but yes, 200 francs less uk child benefit leaves only pocket change. I didn't realise about the tax deduction on child maintenance payments, had a fairly decent tax repayment!

Thanks for your help.

Dear Shane,
Your post is very helpful to me. I have the same problem, 3 boys but in US . I can forget about child allowance since there is no agreement with US, but still I want to change a0 to b3 - is registering the kids (is there anything else needed except of birth certificate?) enough for changing status?
bests,
nodla