Any accountants around? Self-assessment help needed!

[HollowTalk]

I'm asking for my son, so you don't need to tell me how late it is!

He's got all the UTR, password, etc and can log in. However, the screen says:

BUSINESS TAX SUMMARY
VIEW AND ACCESS YOUR BUSINESS TAXES IN ONE PLACE

Then it says: YOU HAVE NOT ADDED A TAX TO THIS ACCOUNT.

This means he can't log in and file his (very, very simple) set of figures.

This is his third year of self-assessment.

Does anyone have any idea why he can't log in? Happy to show screenshots but basically all it's asking for is his UTR and then says:

YOU ALREADY MANAGE YOUR TAXES, DUTIES AND SCHEMES ONLINE - YOU MUST HAVE ADDED THEM TO YOUR OTHER ACCOUNT.

He should only have one account. Does this look like he's had one account in his first year and another in his second year?

Any help would be gratefully received.

It sounds like he is not going through the self assessment screen.

Is he using this link:

www.gov.uk/log-in-file-self-assessment-tax-return/sign-in/prove-identity

My problem is that he's in 200 miles away so I can't see his screen. Thanks so much; I will send him that link.

That link is what he's been using, he says. It still comes up with the Business screen. So frustrating!

Oh no! I think he will need to ring HMRC tomorrow first thing if he can.

Their site is so frustrating!

Don't panic - he has until midnight tomorrow...

And hopefully, by me replying, if there is someone else out there that knows another route, they will post

Thanks so much. Entering his details will only take a few minutes, but it's frustrating that he can't get to the self-assessment part. I hope the helpline is fully staffed tomorrow! He's having a very difficult time at the moment as his dad is at the end of his life; otherwise he would've submitted it earlier.

There is an option to log in via gov.verify, he could try that way by confirming his identity. My partner did this as couldn't find his logins.

It sounds like he hasn’t added his tax account to his government gateway. Does he possibly have 2 government gateway accounts if he has done his SA return in the past and is logging into the wrong one. We do tax returns through our software not directly with HMRC but you have to have a government gateway then add the tax or service you need like VAT, self assessment etc. You add the account to the government gateway under the add a service and they send you an activation code in the post.

If he hasn’t got an active account it won’t be ready for tomorrow. The helpline is open 8-8 I would recommend calling at 8 as it is quieter.

The other option would be to set up some software like freeagent that submits directly with HMRC and you don’t need the gateway account. If you have a NatWest business account they include a free free agent subscription. I think 1tap tax may work similarly but I’ve never used it.

He can also appeal the penalty if it is late, not having an account set up properly isn’t a valid reason so don’t mention it, but if his dad is terminally ill that potentially would be.

He will need to print off the form and post it in but where I have appealed penalties for clients where they have suffered an immediate family bereavement or terminal illness HMRC have waived the penalty and are fairly reasonable.