filling in tax returns when the person is dead

[Blondeshavemorefun]

sadly my dh took his own life 7weeks ago :( - a week into new tax year (16th april)

he has his own business and was self employed - i informed his accountant and tax office

they have sent me a tax return, which im trying to fill in - i love dh dearly but gawd he was crap with paperwork/being organised with his receipts/expenses etc

tbh its a nightmare, but im getting there

what i want to know is, if he has to pay tax for april 10/april 11, will i have to pay it as his wife and same if he has a rebate, will i legally get it?

and as he only worked/was alive just over a week into this tax year, do i need to fill in a tax return for april 11/april 12

thanks for any help

Sorry you're having to go through this.

There is quite a lot of guidance on the tax office website here. Any tax owing will have to be settled out of his estate, which I assume is you. Similarly, his estate will get any rebate. And yes, you will have to file returns for April 11/12.

Sorry about your situation. Can't his accountant help you?

Just what I was thinking Cogito. Just handing the tax returns to you isn't particularly helpful.

So sorry to hear this Blondes.

I would expect the accountant to sort everything out for a fixed fee (get it in writing) - although if receipts are in a mess you will probably have to find what you can so he has something to work with.

Everything Marion says is correct, but you don't have to wait to fill in the return for 11/12, you can do it all at the same time (you or the accountant will need to ask HMRC for a return for 11/12 as otherwise it wouldn't be sent until April 2012).

Feel free to CAT me if you need any specific help.

I dealt with my dad's affairs when he died, he was self employed and died without leaving a will. I got loads of help from a tax officer in his local tax office - I was surprised how helpful he was, he talked me through the forms sections by section and no question was too stupid. If you phone your local tax office they should be able to put you in contact with the officer responsible.

Likewise don't be alarmed if you start receiving letters about fines and interest penalties - in my case these were waived once all the paperwork was done.

the accountants are happy to help for a fee of £350 plus vat - what dh would normally pay them

but bugger me, if im paying them to fill in a few forms

i know what to do,as have filled in a few online as i have been se for my night nannying/ad hoc etc

but im good with keeping my receipts in order, unlike hubby so when i do it for myself its easy iyswim

he is def trading at a loss this year,as brought 2 vans as one had a very sore tummy and other van is being hoovered and sold as i type :)

im having trouble finding his bank accounts/statements (which have now been transfered to me) to find out how much tax he made from his money being in there, but again tbh it cant have been a lot knowing the banks interest rates

Cakes is right - the taxman usually good and will help. Feel free to cat me if you need help(you have helped me enough on thread in past). Am so sorry for your loss.

The accountant probably has some records relating to the previous van (assuming there was one before the 2 he bought?) that you will need. If there is a loss you can probably carry this back to 2009/10 and get a refund, but you will need to know the details of the 2009/10 return to confirm this. The claim for the two new vans will need to be treated as balancing charges as these are capital not trading expenses.

For £350 I'd jump at the offer to be honest (just make sure this covers all work up to and including a final return on cessation of business in 2011/12) - bear in mind this can be included in the trading loss and offset against previous profits.

i guess i hate the thought of paying them to do something that i do for myself, though mine isnt complicated with buying new vans/tools etc