Petition · past parliament
Resolve the inconsistencies in refunding NHS trainees under the WAT Scheme.
Closed
1,825 signatures
What the petition asks
The Widening Access Training Scheme was introduced in 1999 to broaden the professional knowledge of NHS workers. This scheme offered tax and NI exemption, yet many eligible NHS students were incorrectly taxed and paid NI. Reclaiming these payments is proving extremely difficult for many.
A student salary is not classified as earnings and as such should not have been subject to tax or NI deductions. HMRC instructed NHS Trusts not to deduct tax/NI from such salaries and pledged to refund those who had already trained. NHS Trusts and HMRC are treating claimants inconsistently. Some have been refused a NI refund, despite The Social Security (Contributions) Regulations 2001 (regulation 25 and part 7 of schedule 3). Some claimants are still waiting for refund two years after claiming.
Timeline
| 21 Mar 2017 | Petition opened for signatures |
| 2 May 2017 | Closed to new signatures |
Key facts
Signatures
1,825
Status
Closed
Opened
21 Mar 2017
Closed
2 May 2017
Follow this petition
Sign in to get an email when the government responds, a debate is scheduled or held, or the petition closes.
Source: the official petition page. Last checked 15 Jul 2026.