iambored said:
so tax wise, is it better to have 1 job and do lots of hours there rather than 2 jobs splitting the hours? i don't really understand the taxing on the 2nd job and i don't see the need for it.
It doesn't matter in the end because you get taxed on your TOTAL income for the year. You might end up paying a little bit extra tax through the year but you will get it back at the end of the tax year when you file your claim. It's not like they say "You have a second job I see, well we can't have people working 2 jobs. Give us all your money you made on your second job!" they just cut out the threshold and charge accordingly. Try and find a family friend who is a tax accountant and have them explain it to you as there is a bit of math involved and on a forum i'm not sure exactly which concept you might get stuck on.
It depends on how much money you make in either job not how many hours you work, the government is after your money not your workload. Generally you pay less through the year if you split the jobs and earn a very high income (say 40k + 40k) because both workplaces work off the idea you only earn 40k a year and pay tax for you on that. HOWEVER come tax time you will get a fairly big tax bill and crap your pants if you haven't budgeted for it. If you earn 80k at one job they would pay tax after you as if you earnt only 80k a year.
If you're dealing with smaller amount of income the splitting could mean they pay more tax in and you just get a refund.
A lot of adults still have no idea about how tax works so don't feel down if you haven't grasped every single concept yet, that's why tax specialists exist.