AIBU to ask for help on Capital Gains Tax payments which HMRC is unable to give?

[ZanyLou]

It's a long shot, but Mumsnetters can be amazingly well informed.
I need to make a capital gains tax payment for the sale of a property.
Followed the link on the gov website and had to sign into my Gateway account.
A message appeared: I can't make the payment this way because I have a business account.
I was not aware of having a business account. I've been self employed for years as a freelancer and put down my income from that, but never registered a company or anything.
Googling the problem brought up .gov advice saying that I need to create a Personal tax account instead, but I can see no way of doing that from my present Gov Gateway account. In fact, I can click on to 'Personal account' and it shows the same information as I normally see. Not sure that I really have a Business Account at all.
I rang HMRC for help and after holding the line for 50 minutes spoke to a nice man who said he didn't know how that had happened or what to do about it, but would pass me on to the expert.
The expert said there must be a way of sorting it out but he didn't know what, and would try to ring me back about it. Otherwise I have to fill in a complicated form and send it by post, but I can imagine the form getting lost etc.
Dear Mumsnetters, could any of you suggest anything please?

Just pay the bill from your online banking with the reference off the calculation.
No need to do it through Gateway

Do you have an accountant? Ours would sort this kind of thing easily, even if it’s just by knowing who to ask to speak to at HMRC.

Not quite answering your question but one thing that could potentially help... If it seems like a glitchy thing sending you round in circles then try using a different browser. E.g. if you're using Firefox, try using Microsoft Edge or Google Chrome. So often I find something that just won't work, works in a different browser.

I know this sounds more of a HMRC issue, but you might just find it's not and that it works in another browser!!

That would be great if it is possible, but I can't see how to 'report' the capital gain and be given a reference without going through the Gateway. I was sent there by the Calculate Your Capital Gain For UK Property website. Have I missed something?

Thanks, I may have to get an accountant just for this, and it could be worth it.

@ZanyLou
If you are already doing self assessment it will go onto that return.

Using this link it lets you create an account just for Capital Gains
https://www.gov.uk/report-and-pay-your-capital-gains-tax/if-you-sold-a-property-in-the-uk-on-or-after-6-april-2020

@Talkinpeace has the answer. I can't report the capital gain using my normal account (as my partner could for his share of the CGT), but I CAN and HAVE created a new CGT account especially for this, and I was able to pay the tax online.

Thank you so much, everyone who replied, for your thoughtful and sensible suggestions.
Why HMRC can't make this clear on their own website, or indeed inform their CGT helpline staff AND THE 'EXPERT 'THEY EFFORTFULLY REDIRECTED ME TO WHO SAID HE WOULD HAVE TO RESEARCH THE ISSUE AND GET BACK TO ME NEXT WEEK, is another question. But the answer to my question is Yes, it is eminently reasonable to ask Mumsnetters about most things.

HTH

I get really fed up with HMRC and have a tendency to quote their own manuals back at them when I call.

Back in the day we Accountants could talk to people who knew more than us. Not any more.

Makes you despair, doesn't it.
Thank you so much for filling in the gaps for bewildered tax payers like myself, it is much appreciated.

I recently had a similar issue. I used a family members accountant and they sorted it out. They said it's a nightmare! It's not at all user friendly. It's like it's set up to be really difficult to work it out and then potentially be landed with a fine as CGT has to be paid quite quickly. Good luck!

I must admit that idea floated through my mind, that it was made deliberately difficult and time consuming.
If I couldn't sign on correctly online, the alternative was too fill in a long and complicated online form that was not particularly clear and would have been easy to make mistakes on. You couldn't save the form as you went along, so if you had to stop for more than 15 minutes, your data would be cleared and you'd have to start again. You had to make calculations yourself because the form didn't do any of the working out for you, and it didn't tell you how much tax would be payable so you couldn't compare it with the 'Calculate CGT' calculator result which would have showed up any mistakes.
Next you had to print the form out, sign it and send it in the post to HMRC, who would then supposedly write back with a code which you could use to make the payment by online banking.
Goodness knows how long all that would take, with postal delays and things going missing, not to mention lack of committed HMRC staff. You have 60 days to pay the tax from the date of the property sale, and many people would only start the process quite close to the deadline.
Anyway, mine is sorted now thanks for a friendly mumsnetter.