HM Revenue and Customs Archives

Late with your tax return and tax payment? What happens now?

Missed the Tax Return Deadline? What Happens Now?

February 1, 2025/in 2021-22, 2022-23, 2023-24, 2024, 2025, Accountancy, Accountants, Deadline, Filing deadlines, HM Revenue and Customs, HMRC, Late return, London, Online returns, penalties, Self-assessment, South London, Tax, Tax accountants, Tax advice, Tax advisers, Tax advisors, Tax bill, Tax returns, Taxfile, Tulse Hill/by Mark

[Updated February 2025]: If you missed the 31 January deadline to submit your self-assessment tax return, you are now into the penalty stage. HMRC applies an automatic £100 penalty to those who are anywhere from 1 day to 3 months late. Further penalties are then added if you take even longer to comply. It’s even worse if you haven’t paid the tax owed to HMRC by 31 January because you’ll then owe interest on that too.

Our Advice if You’re Late

If you are late submitting your tax return and/or paying the tax owed, our advice is to:

submit your tax return without delay;
pay as much tax as you can as soon as possible*.
By doing both, you’ll minimise the penalty and interest payable to HMRC.

* Payment of any historic tax for 2023/24 and prior years is best dealt with by the last day of February at the latest. Any amount that remains due for 2023/24 is considered late thereafter and will attract an automatic HMRC charge of 5%.

What if you Cannot Pay?

If you cannot pay (or have tax arrears) it’s important that you demonstrate to HMRC that you’re paying as much as you can — and as regularly as possible. The good news is that HMRC has a quick and easy facility for exactly this purpose. By calling 0300 200 3402, you can pay using a debit card. It takes only minutes and doesn’t require any explanation — give it a try!

You will need your tax reference and, after making a payment, will be given a payment reference.

Possible Excuses for Late Tax Returns

What are your options if there were genuine reasons, beyond your control, that stopped you being able to submit your tax return on time? Well, if you “took reasonable care to meet” a deadline and there was a genuine reason why you were late, you have the option to appeal. However, your circumstances must fit HMRC’s eligibility criteria. Let’s take a look at those below.

Circumstances that are taken into account by HMRC when considering appeals include:

if a close relative or partner died shortly before the tax return or payment deadline;
if you had to stay in hospital unexpectedly;
if you had a life-threatening or serious illness;
if your computer or software failed at the time you were preparing your online return;
if HMRC’s online services were disrupted;
if you were prevented from filing your return or paying your tax because of a fire, flood or theft;
if there were unexpected postal delays;
if you have a disability of mental illness that affected the delay;
if you misunderstood your legal obligation, or were unaware of it;
if someone you’d appointed for the task (e.g. accountant or tax adviser) failed in their obligation on your behalf;
and occasionally other reasons which, if genuine, HMRC may deem to be relevant (for example, some Covid-related circumstances).

Excuses that aren’t usually accepted by HMRC include:

you didn’t receive a reminder from HMRC;
you found HMRC’s online system too difficult to use;
your cheque bounced or payment failed due to you having insufficient funds;
you made an error on your return.

Appealing Against an HMRC Penalty

You have the right to appeal against HMRC’s decision to issue you a penalty so long as it’s appealed soon enough after the penalty notice. That includes penalties for late tax returns or payments. Taxfile can help advise you about all of that (see below).

Taxfile are Here to Help

If your tax return is late, you owe HMRC tax, or are owed a refund by them, come and see us as soon as possible. Taxfile are accountants and tax advisors in Tulse Hill, South London. We’ll help to sort it all out for you with the minimum of fuss, at a competitive price. Come in as early in the month as you can and we’ll help you to sort things out — for the best possible outcome. We know the rules and liaise with HMRC every single day on behalf of our clients. So, if we can help convince HMRC to reduce or completely remove any penalty you may be facing, we will do so, so long as your circumstances fit the relevant HMRC criteria. You can only appeal within 30 days of the date of any penalty notice you receive, so the earlier you contact us the better – give us a call on 020 8761 8000 or fill in this short form and we’ll take it from there. Alternatively, book an appointment with one of our expert tax advisors to chat things over, without obligation. Payment plans called ‘Time to Pay’ arrangements may also be available for eligible people who cannot to afford to pay their tax in one lump sum — Taxfile would be happy to tell you more.

020 8761 8000 Book Appointment Get Started Here

Demystifying the SA302: Your Tax Summary Explained

March 25, 2024/in HM Revenue and Customs, HMRC, SA302, Self-employed, Sole traders, Tax calculation/by Taxfile

by Faiz at Taxfile

An SA302 is a document issued by HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) that summarizes your income tax calculation for a specific tax year. It shows how your tax bill was arrived at, including your income from various sources, any deductions and allowances, and the final amount of tax owed or refunded.

An SA302 can be essential documentation in various situations. For instance, you might need it when applying for a mortgage, a visa, or a business loan, as it serves as proof of your income and tax obligations.

How & Where to Get an SA302

If you need a copy of an SA302 there are various ways of obtaining them:

• If you have done your tax return yourself via HMRC’s portal, you can log into your Government Gateway and download copies of them;
• If you have used an accountant that uses external software, then your accountant can provide you with the calculations. It’s worth noting that HMRC has a list of lenders that will accept the tax calculations from the accountant’s software. If your lender’s name is not on this link, then you or your accountant would need to contact HMRC and ask them to send you one. This can take up to 14 days to arrive via post.

Avoiding Errors & Information Mismatches

At Taxfile we receive a lot of SA302s for our clients that have been sent to us by HMRC. This happens when there has been some error or omission on a client’s tax return that was submitted and didn’t match what HMRC had logged on their system. To explain:

HMRC holds the following information about each taxpayer:

• Student loans;
• Private pension contributions;
• PAYE income;
• Jobseeker allowance;
• Child Benefit along with salary information (so, if one of the parents was on a salary of £60,000* or more, then HMRC will recover some or all of the benefit);
^{* (£50,000+ for the tax years 2023/24 and prior)}
• Registration for Class 2 National Insurance.

Because HMRC holds such information, our clients must check their tax returns carefully to ensure all the points mentioned above have been correctly covered and included in the tax return where appropriate. This is a crucial step when we provide the calculation and clients should also carefully read the declaration notes that are provided.

Tax or Accounting Problems?

Taxfile — help when you need it for tax and accountancy issues across South London

020 8761 8000 Book Appointment Contact Us

Taxfile are accountants & tax advisors in Tulse Hill, and Dulwich, South London.

VAT in the UK: a comprehensive guide including what it is, the different rates, registering, returns, reclaiming it, the different schemes and more.

Navigating the VAT Landscape in the UK: A Comprehensive Guide

December 5, 2023/in Cash basis, Flat rate scheme, HM Revenue and Customs, HMRC, Making Tax Digital, MTD, Value Added Tax, VAT, VAT annual accounting, VAT cash accounting, VAT for retailers, VAT margin schemes, VAT returns/by Taxfile

Value Added Tax (VAT), a consumption tax levied on most goods and services in the UK, plays a significant role in the nation’s economy. Whether you’re a sole trader, limited company business owner or simply a curious consumer, understanding VAT is crucial for navigating the UK’s tax system effectively. Today’s comprehensive guide explains what it is, the various VAT rates, when you need to be registered for the tax, VAT schemes, and more. Read more

What does it mean to be a Director?

May 23, 2023/in 2023, Directors, HM Revenue and Customs, HMRC, Limited company/by Taxfile

Your obligations as a Director can be ‘taxing’.

Running a successful limited company typically involves administrative duties outlined by Companies House & HMRC. As the director you’ll also be responsible for ensuring the finances of the company are regulated and healthy. At Taxfile we can help you focus on growing your business and take care of all your accounting needs.

In order to fulfil your obligations, after your limited company’s financial year comes to a close, it must prepare a set of final accounts and a company corporation tax return.

The company’s final accounts are prepared from the company’s financial records for the period that covers your company’s financial year and must include:

a balance sheet showing the value of everything the company owns, owes and is owed on the last day of the financial year
a profit and loss account showing the company’s sales against its running costs and highlighting the profit or loss it has made over the financial year
notes about the accounts
a director’s report (unless you’re a ‘micro-entity’)

The accounts must either meet ‘International Financial Reporting Standards’ or ‘New UK Generally Accepted Accounting Practice’.

At Taxfile we can provide support for small to medium businesses that require accountants to compile and file their full company accounts ready for the shareholders, people of significance to the company, Companies House and HMRC as part of your company corporation tax return.

We can assist you with the bookkeeping and bank reconciliation to ensure that your accounting records are complete and include:

all money received and spent by the company
details of assets owned by the company
debts the company owes or is owed
stock the company owns at the end of the financial year
all goods bought and sold

As the director you are solely responsible that your accounts and tax return meet the deadlines for filing with Companies House and HMRC. From the accounts you can also deduce how much Corporation Tax to pay. The dates you will need to remember:

File the first set of accounts with Companies House 12 months after the date you registered with Companies House
File annual accounts with Companies House 9 months after your company’s financial year ends
Pay Corporation Tax or tell HMRC that your limited company does not owe any 9 months and 1 day after your ‘accounting period’ for Corporation Tax ends
File a Company Tax Return 12 months after your accounting period for Corporation Tax ends
File a Confirmation Statement 12 months after: company incorporated, company accounts submitted, or last confirmation statement

As a Director do I need to file a Self-Assessment Income Tax Return?

See our blog HERE

If you are thinking about setting up a limited company we are offering a special price of £375+VAT for the following;

company formation (including the option to have the company phrased as a special purpose vehicle for a property rental company)
we will register a single director with HMRC for self-assessment
we set up the payroll scheme
we arrange your chart of accounts on online software and set up the bank feed so transactions are automatically recorded

For more information about any of our tax- and accountancy-related services, call us on 020 8761 8000.

Taxfile Partners with Local Government to Offer Self Assessment Assistance

January 8, 2021/in 2020, 2021, Advice, BBLS, Bounce Back Loan Scheme, coronavirus, Coronavirus, COVID-19, COVID-19, HM Revenue and Customs, HMRC, Income & Expenditure, Income tax, London, Pandemic, Pandemic, SEISS, Self-assessment, Self-employed, Sole traders, South London, Uncategorized/by Taxfile

With the self-assessment tax deadline looming in the midst of a global pandemic and no announcement of an extension from the government (28 days would do), 5.4m* taxpayers (45%) still needing to submit a tax return before the 31^st January and many of those are left feeling hopeless and helpless, unsure how to complete it themselves and having difficulty finding or affording an accountant who can do it on their behalf.

Some will attempt to complete the tax return online themselves but without a Government Gateway ID that task will be impossible. Obtaining the Government Gateway ID would require having their ID checked and confirmed online and without a valid UK passport and/or driving licence the task will lead to long phone calls on hold waiting for a HMRC advisor, who are currently running somewhat of a skeleton crew as a result of the pandemic (at least that’s the impression given due to the long waiting times even on the authorised agents helplines and the reduced opening hours).

Even if you do have Government Gateway ID (and password), you will need to work through HMRC’s Self-Assessment form, deciding which of the sections are relevant to you & compiling the information required for each part. Take a look at these help sheets especially useful for people with self-employed earnings (some of the business income references use the word business which can confuse as the rules and guidelines are equally applicable to sole traders working for themselves).

Also check out the HMRC’s toolkit: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/hmrc-business-profits-toolkit.

You will need to accurately assess all your business income and more so, expenses, ensuring the correct figures are entered and submitted. Knowing what expenses you can and can’t claim can really have a negative or positive effect on the tax bill you will be presented with at the end but how do you ensure you are paying the correct amount of tax?

Looking for assistance from HMRC’s website can provide some valuable information if you know what you are looking for (see the help sheets mentioned above) but from the distance, for the everyday taxpayer, this task can be rather daunting. Finding personal help, assistance, and guidance can be difficult, especially when the people that can help those most are currently experiencing their busiest period in the industry whilst coping with the effects of COVID on their workforce.

Many may opt for the avoidance strategy until the £100 late filing penalty lands on their door and further threats of daily fines & interest kicks them into action. You will have a ground to appeal any fines or penalties if you have been affected by COVID. This will involve writing a formal letter to HMRC and providing any evidence they may request to overturn the fine.

We do recommend that however hard it maybe, it’s a good idea to put some money on your HMRC self-assessment account to settle last year’s tax if you can at least estimate it because at the end of February any tax still outstanding from the previous year which ended 05/04/20 will attract a surcharge which is almost impossible to appeal against so give it a go and work out your taxable profit and then put it in this calculator so you can guesstimate how much you need to rustle up.

If you need an injection to your cash flow even if you were eligible and claimed for the SEISS grants, we would strongly recommend you apply for the Bounce Back Loan Scheme (BBLS) if you have not done so already. This can be done via your bank provider online & in many cases they may require you to open a business bank account. You are then eligible for a maximum of 25% of your 2018/19 business turnover (a minimum of £2k and maximum amount of £50k being leant). The interest rate for this loan is 2.5% for 6-years and the government will pay the interest for the first 12-months of the loan.

Taxfile is currently working closely with local government and our director is on the board of the local business improvement district, we like to think of ourselves as the local tax office for the people of south London, we may be able to give you a little help along the way so why not give us a call for a free 20 minute confidential chat on 020 8761 8000

*figure correct on 01/01/21

Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) Deadlines and Extensions

October 9, 2020/in 2020, 2021, Coronavirus, COVID-19, HM Revenue and Customs, Pandemic, Partnership, SEISS, Self-employed, Sole traders, Uncategorized/by Taxfile

The deadline for the 2^nd SEISS grant looms, please apply before it is too late.

The second SEISS grant is worth 70% of your average monthly trading profits, paid out in a single instalment covering 3 months’ worth of profits, and capped at £6,570 in total.

If you’re eligible and your business has been adversely affected on or after 14 July 2020, you must make your claim for the second grant on or before 19^th October 2020.

That is less than 10-days from now. If you need help making your claim or are unsure, please call us on 020 8761 8000.

The SEISS grants have been extended for 2 further payments but with a new prerequisite.

The scheme has been extended for a 3^rd and 4^th grant for those that are actively continuing to trade, but are facing reduced demand due to the coronavirus pandemic.

To be eligible for the grant extension self-employed individuals, including members of partnerships, must:

currently be eligible for the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (although they do not have to have claimed the previous grants)
declare that they are currently actively trading and intend to continue to trade
declare that they are impacted by reduced demand due to coronavirus in the qualifying period (the qualifying period for the grant extension is between 1 November and the date of claim)

The extension will provide two grants and will last for six months, from November 2020 to April 2021. Grants will be paid in two lump sum instalments each covering a three-month period.

The third grant will cover a three-month period from 1^st November 2020 until the end of January 2021. This grant will only be 20% of your average monthly trading profits, paid out in a single instalment covering 3 months’ worth of profits, and capped at £1,875 in total.

The fourth grant will cover a three-month period from the start of February until the end of April.

HMRC will review the level of this grant and set it in due course as its value will be dependent on how the pandemic has affected the workforce in February 2021.

All the SEISS grants are subject to Income Tax and National Insurance Contributions.

EDIT: As of 22/10/2020 the government have updated the terms for the 3rd SEISS grant:

The Government will provide a taxable grant covering 40% of average monthly trading profits, paid out in a single instalment covering 3 months’ worth of profits, and capped at £3,750 in total.

To be eligible for the Grant Extension self-employed individuals, including members of partnerships, must:

have been previously eligible for the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme first and second grant (although they do not have to have claimed the previous grants)
declare that they intend to continue to trade and either:
- are currently actively trading but are impacted by reduced demand due to coronavirus
- were previously trading but are temporarily unable to do so due to coronavirus

Making Tax Digital for Income Tax Self Assessment (MTDfITSA). Are you ready?

September 1, 2020/in Buy to let, HM Revenue and Customs, HMRC, Income & Expenditure, Income tax, Landlords, Making Tax Digital, MTD, Self-assessment, Self-employed, Software packages, Sole traders, Tax return, Tax returns, Taxes, Taxfile/by Taxfile

The Government has now pencilled in what they regard as a firm date to implement MTD for ITSA, for all landlords and business owners that have an income above £10,000.

The next accounting period starting on or after 06/04/2023 that meet the above mentioned criteria will need to be compiled & submitted via MTD-compatible software.

If you are self-employed or a landlord with a turnover greater than £10k, how will MTD affect you?

1. You will need to submit a quarterly summary of your businesses income & expenses to HMRC using MTD-compliant software. Yes, you read that correctly. No longer can you do your tax return in one go, with a lot of our customers leaving it to December or even January before they come to see us. As your tax agents, we would need your business transactions every 3 months, to compile, compute, and submit through to HMRC.

The timing of the quarterly updates is determined by the accounting period of the business but typically the 4 quarters will be:

6 April to 5 July
6 July to 5 October
6 October to 5 January
6 January to 5 April

2. All your income and expenses will need to be individually logged electronically. The technical term used is that every business transaction will have an ‘electronic signature’. These signatures will then be submitted to HMRC every 3 months and you will receive an estimated tax projection for the year based on the information provided.

3. At the end of the year, any non-business information, foreign income, other income, etc is added to finalise your tax affairs and submitted using the MTD-compatible software. This replaces the need for a Self Assessment tax return. You will then have Read more

Making Tax Digital – A New Time Line

July 28, 2020/in 2020, 2021, 2022, Accountants, Annual Allowance (AA), Capital gains tax, CGT, Digital tax accounts, HM Revenue and Customs, HMRC, Income & Expenditure, Income tax, Landlords, Lettings, Making Tax Digital, MTD, property, Sole traders/by Taxfile

Making Tax Digital (‘MTD’) was announced as the new initiative by HMRC to revolutionise and modernise the tax system in the UK.

MTD centres around keeping digital financial records that can then be accessed by software to calculate and submit taxes through to HMRC. The goal is that there will be direct ‘digital link’ between the financial record and the software used to calculate and submit the records and therefore ensuring an accuracy in the figures being generated.

With initial teething problems, MTD for VAT started back in April 2019, and as a result of various delays around Brexit & COVID-19, it still has not sailed out of its ‘soft-landing’ period.

On 21^st July 2020 the Treasury published a 10-year plan to modernize the UK’s tax system which outlines a blueprint for the transition of the UK’s tax system into the digital age.

MTD for VAT

Introduced in April 2019, MTD for VAT had a soft-landing period where the rules for this ‘digital-link’ were relaxed. Prior to COVID-19, April 2020 was the date stipulated where all digital links were to be in place for submissions.

As a direct consequence of COVID-19, it has been now been stated that as of 1st April 2021, the ‘soft-landing’ period comes to an end and all VAT registered businesses submitting VAT returns will need to ensure they have these digital links in place for their submissions.

Furthermore, from April 2022, MTD for VAT will apply to all VAT registered businesses and not just those that have a turnover greater than the VAT threshold.

MTD for Income Tax

The 10-year plan targets 6th April 2023 for self-employed businesses and unincorporated landlords to begin reporting Read more

Watch Out – Fraudsters Are About!

July 24, 2020/in Accountancy, Accountants, Deadline, Fraud, HM Revenue and Customs, HMRC, Phishing, Scams, South London, Tax, Tulse Hill/by Mark

Have you noticed a significant increase in the number of scam calls, phishing emails and dodgy texts to your mobile in recent weeks? We certainly have. Some of Taxfile’s customers have been asking if any are genuine, so we thought we’d send out this warning …

If you receive a call, email or text from HMRC asking for your personal or financial details, it’s simple: DO NOT to give ANY information away via text, email or to someone calling you by telephone. They could be anyone! Your information will be used against you if it gets into the wrong hands — and that could potentially cost you a LOT of money. So if they call, text or email you out of the blue:

don’t confirm your date of birth,
don’t confirm your National Insurance Number,
don’t tell them your your mother’s Maiden name,
don’t confirm your Unique Taxpayer Reference (‘UTR’) or any other piece of personal or financial information,
… even if they say it’s urgent (most fraudsters will say it is, so as to panic you into divulging your information).

Even one bit of data given away can be dangerous these days. ‘Social Engineering’ scams can use one bit of information as a starting point to eventually build a more complete picture of your sensitive data. Once they have enough pieces of the jigsaw, they can potentially take over your identity, empty your bank account or go on a spending spree with a credit or debit card issued in your name. People have lost thousands! So, the message is to be careful not to give anything away via email, SMS/text or to someone who has telephoned you out of the blue.

If HMRC do send you a genuine email, text your mobile or call you, they will never ask for personal information, financial information or payment details. It may help you to check here to see a list of genuine communications that HMRC has recently sent.

If you’re going to give HMRC information and want to be sure it’s genuine, you need to Read more

2nd SEISS Grant Applications – NOW OPEN!

July 7, 2020/in 2020, HM Revenue and Customs, Income support, Income tax, Self-assessment, Self-employed, Sole traders, Taxfile/by Taxfile

The Government previously announced that, much like the furlough scheme, the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (‘SEISS’) is to be extended for a second period and in fact it’s now open for applications.

If your business has been adversely affected as a result of COVID-19 on or after 14^th July 2020 you can make a claim from 17^th August 2020 for the second and final grant.

You can make a claim for the second grant, if you’re eligible, even if you did not make a claim for the first grant.

Your eligibility for the 2^nd SEISS grant must meet the same criteria as those outlined for the 1^st grant:

you must have traded in the tax year 2018/19 and submitted your Self Assessment tax return on or before 23 April 2020;
you must have traded as self-employed in the tax year 2019/20;
you must have all intentions to trade as self-employed in the tax year 2020/21;
your average trading profits must be less than £50,0000;
your trade must have been adversely affected by coronavirus.

Like the first SEISS grant, the second SEISS grant is a taxable one. However, this time, it is based on 70% of your average monthly trading profits. It will be paid out in a single instalment, based on a 3-month period of average profits, and is capped at a maximum of £6,570.

Taxfile will be in touch with clients to remind them. Now that the 2^nd grant is available, do feel free to call us if you’d like our assistance in helping you to make your claim.

Please remember the deadline for claiming the first SEISS grant was 13 July 2020. You can start claiming the second SEISS grant now, as it opened to applications on 17 August 2020.

Please call Taxfile on 020 8761 8000 if you need help to make a claim for either of these SEISS grants and we’ll be happy to help. Alternatively, fill in and submit the form below and we’ll be in touch to help you.

[Article updated 17 August 2020].