Luton and Dunstable Hospital tax mix-up NHS staff face unexpected bills

Nurses at Luton and Dunstable Hospital said they had been on the incorrect tax code for doing overtime for about five years

About 100 NHS staff at Luton and Dunstable Hospital have been sent bills totalling thousands of pounds after a tax mix-up.

Nurses at Luton and Dunstable Hospital said they had been put on an incorrect tax code while working overtime in the past five years.

Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said it was offering support and working on "potential solutions".

HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) said it was helping staff with their "tax affairs".

A tax code is used by employers to calculate tax that should be deducted from your wages before it is paid into your bank account.

HMRC expects each individual to check they are on the right tax code.

Two nurses at the hospital, who want to remain anonymous, said they assumed their tax was being calculated correctly as they were adding Pay as You Earn contributions.

"That seems like it's not the case and it wasn't the case for the last five years," one said.

Wages worry

They said they were sent letters in March to say they had paid too little tax and it needed to be repaid in the next year.

One said she lost £700 from her wages in April and was unsure what she would be paid this month.

"I haven't got anything left to pay for my bills," she said.

"I'm worried for the next month how much they are going to deduct because when I tried to negotiate with them, he said this tax code is correct, you can't negotiate."

The public service union Unison said about 100 NHS staff had been affected.

Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said it was aware that letters from HMRC were "understandably causing distress and concern".

It added that although it was an issue between the individual and HMRC it was "doing everything that we can to support our staff" and "explore potential solutions".

HMRC said it was aware of the "unexpected bills".

"We're working with the hospital and the affected employees to support them in putting their tax affairs right," a statement said.