confusion over tax codes

A question about : confusion over tax codes

NB. I think I have posted to the wrong board (again - its a personality flaw - sorry! )
Hi - I am thoroughly confused about my tax code. this is going to be v. boring for everyone to read but its really important to me!!
I have two jobs
A full time job which worked out at about 19,000 a year
and a part time job which works out at around Ј150-Ј200 a month.
After (literally) months of trying to explain this to the tax office (I was orginally on tax code BR on my main job - v. painful tax payments) they have put my main job on tax code 479L M1 - apparently this means I am paying tax monthly not cumulatively so it works out as being more - why have they done this?
When I spoke to them on the phone they told me, my part time job (which is now going to be taxed at basic rate with no allowances) would not affect the tax I pay on my main job (which has all the allowances).
- I am paying about Ј350 a month on my main job in tax -this seems like alot?! considering I am also paying 22% on all of my part time earnings.
- have they put my on the right code?
-can I change the code?
am starting to think its not worth me having a second job at all - its exhausting - and it seems that I might be getting taxed heavily because of it....
would appreciate any advise
Thanks !!

Best answers:

• OK ... the tax code on the main job is not, yet, cumulative .. but it should be eventually. Once it is, then you'll automatically get any unpaid tax back through your wage. Problem is, there's only this month to correct it. If it's not corrected in March, you'll need to contact the tax office again. You may need to complete a tax return for this year (to 5.4.2005) to get any overpayment calculated and paid in the next tax year - but talk to your tax office first.
  As for the second job .. yes ... all of it will be taxed. The reason being that your personal allowance is given in the code for your main job. You only get one personal allowance per person - not one for each job.
• They put you on a 479L wk1/mth1 code for 2004/05 because of the problems with your code during the rest of the year.
  If you started your part-time job before the full time then the tax office would have assumed it was your main source until you told them otherwise. That would be why when your higher income job started it would automatically have been classed as a sub source and a BR code operated. The Inland Revenue would have had no way of knowing that the income on your second job was actually higher than the other job until you told them. Now that you have been in contact they will have changed the records to make your higher income job the main source and allocated your tax free allowances there.
  You should have received or soon will receive a new notice of coding for your main job for the new 2005/06 tax year which starts on 06/04/05. That will probably be 489L and will be cumulative.
  When you receive your P60's (end of year statement of earnings) from each of your employers at the end of the current tax year send copies to the tax office which deals with your main job (address on coding notice) and they will review the 2004/05 tax year and issue any refund due to you. You shouldn't need to complete a tax return if you are dealt with under the PAYE system and don't fulfill the criteria for Self Assessment.
  The tax code on your part-time job should be BR because you are already getting your allowances at your main job and you can only get them once.
  On Ј19000/yr on a 489L code (2005/06) you should pay approx Ј240/mth in tax.