Geithner told panel of tax mistake--Obama official

WASHINGTON, Jan 13 (Reuters) - U.S. Treasury Secretary-nominee Timothy Geithner informed a Senate panel that he had made a common tax mistake while working for the International Monetary Fund in 2001-2003, an official with the Obama transition team said on Tuesday.

The official said the error stemmed from an unusual payroll system that U.S. employees of the IMF and other international organizations must use. "This unusual payroll system commonly creates confusion among U.S. employees," the official said.

Geithner realized the error in November during the review process for his nomination and immediately corrected it, the official added. "All of his taxes have now been paid in full, and at no time was there any intention on Mr. Geithner's part to avoid taxes," the official said. (Reporting by Caren Bohan; Editing by Dan Grebler)