Tax: Self Asessment

[Scoffers]

Mrs Wanderer has to fill in the damn thing every year and she is a housewife, her only income is Child Benefit and a few share dividents (that amount to very little) - can someone tell me why she has to continually fill these damn forms out? I must cost more to process her return that the revenue get in tax !

 

[bhaexpress]

Mrs Wanderer has to fill in the damn thing every year and she is a housewife, her only income is Child Benefit and a few share dividents (that amount to very little) - can someone tell me why she has to continually fill these damn forms out? I must cost more to process her return that the revenue get in tax !

Good point well made !

 

[Scoffers]

Any Tax Specialists amongst the great and the good in NSC ?

 

[Westdene Seagull]

Actually I have worked on a project for ICL who run it now, that was bad enough however their predecessors were EDS (an American company) who were an utter shambles. Amongst their many discredits they managed to lose over two years worth of over 100,000 individuals tax details due to very poor (call it non existant) back up procedures. Still I have a feeling that any recruitment campaign they run asks for proof of imcompetance as a major job requirement.

One of the many reasons I left EDS. A nasty nasty company to work for and do business with. No idea if it's improved since they were brought by HP.

Mrs Wanderer has to fill in the damn thing every year and she is a housewife, her only income is Child Benefit and a few share dividents (that amount to very little) - can someone tell me why she has to continually fill these damn forms out? I must cost more to process her return that the revenue get in tax !

Is she registered as a director of a limited company ? If so they will normally expect her to do a return. If not, I'd wait until a period after 31st January and ring up and ask if she can stop doing a return. If her last three returns show she hasn't earn't any taxable income then they will probably agree.

 

[Barrel of Fun]

Does the UTR change annually?

 

[Sussex Nomad]

The ridiculous thing is that whilst I am technically self employed I use an umbrella company and all my pay is P.A.Y.E. something that the Inland revenue don't seem to understand.

Strange one, I was under various umbrella companies for three years and never needed to file a tax return.

 

[bhaexpress]

Strange one, I was under various umbrella companies for three years and never needed to file a tax return.

Well many years ago I was self employed and given that the Inland Revenue can't even change an email address it comes as no surprise that they don't recognise a change in status.

 

[bhaexpress]

One of the many reasons I left EDS. A nasty nasty company to work for and do business with. No idea if it's improved since they were brought by HP.

I had an interview with them actually in Telford at the Inland revenue. Having spent three hours trekking there I found that it was a group interview (about 20 others) and we would have spent the morning with some muppet extolling the virtues of working for EDS. I found out that my interview would actually take place until 16:00 and that was at 9:00. I walked out follwed by half a dozen others. We were all experienced professionals and frankly didn't expect to be treated like graduate trainees. Yes EDS were a pretty scummy firm but under HP I expect they've improved.

 

[Sussex Nomad]

If you've ever worked in Govt you'll know what incredulous jobsworth half wits the majority of them are. Over officious with no idea about running a business (UK PLC). Which is why this country is in such a mess. How they manage to collect taxes is beyond me. I think they rely on goodwill.

 

[Freddie Goodwin.]

Does the UTR change annually?

NO.

 

[Barrel of Fun]

NO.

Phew! Thanks for that.

 

[Scoffers]

Is she registered as a director of a limited company ? If so they will normally expect her to do a return. If not, I'd wait until a period after 31st January and ring up and ask if she can stop doing a return. If her last three returns show she hasn't earn't any taxable income then they will probably agree.

No she is not registered as a director of a limited company. I'll ring up after Jan 31 as you suggest, thanks!

 

[Rowdey]

Some good points therte, especially about not leaving it to the last week in January when millions of others are trying to do the same.

Haven't HMRC also stated (or the facts bear it out anyway..?) that they are more likely to look into your affairs, if you file in mid/late January ?

 

[blue'n'white]

As others have said - if you do it early enough you don't have the pleasure of trying to compete with half the world trying to get through on the phones.
The forms look quite daunting but they are, in fact, fairly straightforward
Things were better in "the old days" when there were plenty of enquiry counters where you could go and sit down and talk over your affairs and have your return completed - these seem, unfortunately, to have been closed.

 

[BHAMAN]

Haven't HMRC also stated (or the facts bear it out anyway..?) that they are more likely to look into your affairs, if you file in mid/late January ?

Mid to late February perhaps!

If the stats suggest what you say, it is only because that's the period that most returns are filed.

 

[HastingsSeagull]

My Mrs is a junior in an accounts firm. Had 213 of these to do for people in january. Don't envy her one bit!

 

[Sussex Nomad]

As a matter of interest, being thick on accounts, do you not have to submit to the tax year end? Or am I seeing this wrong and if we submit 10 months early we can get some kind of kudos from HMRC?

 

[BHAMAN]

As a matter of interest, being thick on accounts, do you not have to submit to the tax year end? Or am I seeing this wrong and if we submit 10 months early we can get some kind of kudos from HMRC?

The tax year runs to the 5th April each year and you've got until 31st Jan the following year to file your tax return.
Not sure if that answers your question.... But then I'm not sure what your question was.

 

[Sussex Nomad]

The tax year runs to the 5th April each year and you've got until 31st Jan the following year to file your tax return.
Not sure if that answers your question.... But then I'm not sure what your question was.

Not sure myself, a couple of sherberts later...

 

[Nottseagull]

As a matter of interest, being thick on accounts, do you not have to submit to the tax year end? Or am I seeing this wrong and if we submit 10 months early we can get some kind of kudos from HMRC?

I don't think HMRC know what kudos is. If you are trading, your enterprise can set any date as its year-end.