Fucked up my tax

[LangClegsInSpace]

SE until beginning of August 2019, then became an employee.

I usually do my tax return in July so I can adjust my DD payments over the next 6 months and not end up with any nasty surprises at the end of January.

2018-19 tax return - reduced payments on account because SE was ending, but then got confused about when payment was due. I set up a DD to pay half by the end of July, thinking I had until the end of January 2021 to pay the balance.

I submitted my 2019-20 tax return last week and have just logged in for The Great Reckoning and I can see now that I have fucked it up and I was supposed to pay around half by the end of January, half by the end of July and any leftover small amount by the end of January 2021.

My account now shows that all the DD payments since the end of January have gone towards my second payment on account (July) and I have been charged interest on the full amount outstanding on the first payment on account since the end of January.

Also that I must pay the whole remaining (adjusted) second payment on account straight away to avoid further daily interest.

In a normal year I would just suck it up and pay it off asap, including the interest, because I accept this is my mistake. But this is not a normal year because coronavirus and we are now allowed to defer the second payment on account until January.

So I'm planning to call them tomorrow and ask for the Feb - July payments to be credited to the first payment on account instead of the second and for the interest to be recalculated (I realise there will still be a bit of interest), and to defer the second payment on account until January - which would put me back on the payment schedule I erroneously thought I had in the first place.

Does that sound reasonable? I don't want to fuck it up again or fuck it up worse.

Anyone?

It doesn't sound unreasonable, especially when July 2020 payments have been automatically deferred until January 2021 if you do not pay. So I'm sure many people have not made that second July payment on account as it doesn't need to be paid (and no interest due or penalties at provided all paid by 31st Jan 21).

That said, HMRC have their own special way of doing things.
Good luck calling them tomorrow

Thank you, I will report back.

I'm annoyed that they are demanding the whole of the second payment on account immediately when we have all been given permission to defer this until January. Technically I owe half the first payment and half the second payment. They should only be chasing me for the second half of the first payment at this point in the year.

Having spent the best part of 2 hours on hold to 2 different HMRC helplines this morning, it looks like they're going to reallocate the payments and recalculate the interest for me It has had to be referred to a different department though and I should hear back by 26 August.