Working for Zest and Tax
How am I paid at Zest?
Zest pay via PAYE and comply with all government rules regarding pay and tax.
I have just received a payment from Zest and it was less than expected. Why?
The usual reason for the payment being lower than expected is that income tax has been deducted. Less frequently, it may be due to National Insurance or due to an auto-enrolment pension contribution.
Some of our staff have tax taken off their pay, particularly on their first payslip, even when they earn less than the personal allowance. (Currently £12,500 pa).
This is usually because you have told us in your profile in Staffwise that this is your second job. (You will have told us this by selecting ‘Option C: As well as my new job, I have another job).
When someone selects ‘Option C’, HMRC rules require us to apply the emergency tax code (20%) until HMRC advise us of a new tax code. This usually happens automatically after the first payment. It is not something Zest has any control over.
How do I get back tax that I have overpaid?
If you have paid too much tax, there are various ways of getting it back.
HMRC will usually try to pay back the over-payment by adjusting your tax on future work you do during the current tax year.
If however that doesn’t happen, or you don’t earn enough over the year to have the tax repaid automatically, you can claim a refund from HMRC.
There is more information on HMRC’s website here on how to reclaim overpaid income tax.
https://www.gov.uk/claim-tax-refund/too-much-tax-taken-from-your-pay
Can Zest get my tax code changed or refund my tax?
Zest have no control over your tax code, and cannot refund tax unless HMRC have instructed us to do so via your tax code.
What about National Insurance?
If your pay is higher than the national insurance threshold (£792 in 2020), you will have to pay 12% on the part above the threshold. EG if you pay for the month is £992, you would have to pay £24, which is 12% of (£992 less £792). This applies to everyone and cannot be removed or refunded.
I have had a pension contribution taken off for the first time, why is this?
This means that you have fulfilled the criteria for automatic enrolment into the Zest Workplace Pension scheme. Government regulations require staff to be opted in who meet the criteria, though it is possible to opt out again. You will have received emails from Paycircle with further details.
How do I check my Payslip to see the tax deducted?
You can check your payslip by going into your Paycircle account, where you can download your payslip.
What is Paycircle and how to I log in?
Paycircle is our payroll provider. Every staff member has an account where you can manage your payments details and download documents such as payslips and P60’s.
Your login for paycircle will be the email address you have previously provided to Zest. You should previously have been sent a registration email from paycircle but if not, please press the ‘forgotten password’ button. You may have to go through a short registration process to activate your paycircle account.
Access your paycircle account at the following link:
https://my.paycircle.co.uk/#/login
Cannot access Paycircle- it asked for email and Date of Birth, then said details not recognised.
This happens if you have not registered your account. Please search your email for the Paycircle registration email sent when you first joined Zest. (Or, for people who worked for Zest before February 2017, these emails were sent in about March 2017). You will need to click the activation link in the email and follow the stops. If you cannot find your registration email please contact Paycircle via the Chat Window on the paycircle website, or ask us to send you a new registration email.