Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Money matters

Find financial and money-saving discussions including debt and pension chat on our Money forum. If you're looking for ways to make your money to go further, sign up to our Moneysaver emails here.

Original poster

Filling in tax return for private tuition

43 replies

CeeBeeBee · 09/05/2017 17:52

I had my last lesson with my student yesterday and wanted to start the process of filling in a tax return form but even the login process stresses me out. I am, at the moment, waiting for my registration I'd to save sent because I have somehow created more than one account with the same email address after trying to recover my login details!

The thing which bothers me is having so many sections like whether I earn interest in savings account, whether I receive tax credits and child benefits and student loan repayment which I already paid off in my PGCE year etc!
who can I speak to in rl to go through the process with me please?

Really want some advice about this as I don't want to co okeye iy incorrectly. Thank you in advance.

OP posts:
Original poster
CeeBeeBee · 09/05/2017 17:53

Sorry, "complete it incorrectly".

OP posts:
wizzywig · 09/05/2017 17:53

Give them a call. List all your questions, they are really patient and explain it all

Original poster
CeeBeeBee · 09/05/2017 19:04

thanks Wizz, how easy is it to get through to them? i think that's going to require a lot of planning too!

OP posts:
emma2468 · 09/05/2017 20:03

Or hire an accountant to do it for you? Costs around £100 - £300 for a straight forward tax return once a year

YetAnotherElsa · 09/05/2017 20:22

Why are you doing it now? The tax year runs from April 6th to the following years April 5th. If you will be doing any tuition between now and April 5th 2018 then you need to wait till the end of the tax year otherwise you won't capture all the income for the 2017/18 tax year. However if you have tuition income from April 5th of this year or earlier then you can do your 2016/17 tax return now. If it's seeming like a huge task I would recommend hiring a local accountant to help you.

Original poster
CeeBeeBee · 09/05/2017 21:23

Elsa, I did tuition from this January to yesterday. So there's an overlap in tax year 2016 - 2017 and 2017- 2018.

OP posts:
Batfurger · 09/05/2017 21:25

Just google the specific question wording, there are loads of online resources. What are you tutoring if filling in a simple online form is scaring you Hmm

Original poster
CeeBeeBee · 09/05/2017 21:26

I am trying to do my tax return now and hence the desperate plea for help? 🤔 But thanks.

Hiring an accountant would be a waste of money since I would be making a loss. I only had the one student from this January to yesterday.

OP posts:
Original poster
CeeBeeBee · 09/05/2017 21:31

Thanks Bat please don't comment if you're not going to be helpful.

OP posts:
wizzywig · 09/05/2017 21:33

Op im really not the brightest lightbulb and i was terrified of getting it wrong and being thrown in jail etc etc. So first time round i phoned them a lot. Yes, id make a coffee & put a film on and then call them.
Ive being doing the self assessment for 3 years and now i have my invoices in excel in folders according to tax year, a snazzy A5 file in my car to collect petrol receipts. That all makes it easier. I believe you can earn £300 in interest or dividends before you declare it. Theres an info icon that will confirm the exact amount.
I too was going to use an accountants but didnt. Keep all your self assessment login details safe. Its such a pain when you cant find it

Batfurger · 09/05/2017 21:33

Did you earn interest on your savings? Were you getting tax credits? If so then you just have to put the figures in.

If you're not at the stage where you can log in yet, have you looked at the fields you'll need to fill in?

My comments re google not helpful?

wizzywig · 09/05/2017 21:34

Jeez bat, thats a nasty post

Original poster
CeeBeeBee · 09/05/2017 21:37

Wizzy, I think I'd be alright if I can just access my account but I'm having problems trying to recover details and hence having to wait for a copy of th through the post. Having seen the many sections, I think I know which bits of paperwork I need but I'll need to go through it again and make a list of questions I need to ask.
Thank you for your encouragement.

OP posts:
SeeTheGood20 · 09/05/2017 21:38

Take it step by step.
First get your log in set up properly and focus on that.
Then theres the filling in. You will be asked loads of irrelevent questions for the tax year in question but there's no way around it. Leave it blank if there's no amount to enter for that year (such as student loan).
It gets easier the more you do it. It's never something that I can just quickly fill in overnight though.
Don't forget to put all your expenses in: books, pens, petrol, printing etc.

Original poster
CeeBeeBee · 09/05/2017 21:39

Do you not the think I already tried google? Why do you think people post on forums? So that they can ask someone who has had experience.

OP posts:
Original poster
CeeBeeBee · 09/05/2017 21:42

Thanks Seethegoid, that is exactly what I am doing now. I naively thought, I'd just get it done in one evening but there seem to be lots of steps where I'd need to retrieve various files.

OP posts:
wizzywig · 09/05/2017 21:43

There was a thread running recently about perfect people who do things like hoover their garage and have special outfits for washing the car. I laughed a lot at that post, but tax return time turns me into that type of person (hmrc stuff makes me way too nervous).

emma2468 · 09/05/2017 21:44

Is it only tutoring income you've had in the year? No interest, dividends or benefits?

ellesbellesxxx · 09/05/2017 21:44

I do this too for private tuition...
Before I start to fill it in I tot up:
Total income
Expenses/petrol
Bank interest paid
P60 tax paid/income

When you have done it the first time you get quicker :)

MirandaWest · 09/05/2017 21:48

For income you've had between April 6th 2016 and April 5th 2017 you need to submit your tax return and pay tax by 31st January 2018. Are you expecting to get any more income between April 6th 2017 and April 5th 2018?

Tax credits are not taxable income.

When you do get your login details, the website leads you through pretty well. Do you have any other income than your tutoring income?

Original poster
CeeBeeBee · 09/05/2017 21:51

Emma, I've got a pt job as well. I have an isa account so I'll have to retrieve interest details from that.
We don't have child tax credits anymore and I'm finding myself saying "No" for most things.

Thank you Elle for your response. I probably am over panicking at this stage but I just want to get sorted and organised! Now that you've listed those items, it's probably not as overwhelming as I initially thought.

OP posts:
LineysRun · 09/05/2017 21:53

This will be my second year. Agree with Seethegood - take it step by step.

I will probably set aside a couple of days and a lot of cups of tea.

Most of mine will be left blank, tbh, as it doesn't apply. And that's fine.

Original poster
CeeBeeBee · 09/05/2017 21:53

Miranda, I work part time in an FE college. I not expecting further income in the this tax year unless I get another request for tuition, which I never really intended to do to any art with but they were desperate and someone had recommended me.

OP posts:
LineysRun · 09/05/2017 21:54

Your ISA is exempt from tax, OP.

Original poster
CeeBeeBee · 09/05/2017 21:54

Thanks Liney. Smile

OP posts: