Help! Anyone else know about the rental section of a self assessment tax form?

[mamhaf]

I've tried phoning the HMRC "helpline" but it says high volume of calls and cuts off - very useful.

We have a rental property (only bought in 2007 so this is new to me), and I'm filling in the income/expenditure bit.

I've filled in the income bit (half of the total as dh is joint owner), but it's now asking about tax taken off rent and other income for all property.

I thought this was 0 but it won''t let me enter that - it has to have a figure.

Any ideas please?

Many thanks.

Dh is a tax consultant - he's just had a look at your post and wonders if you are non-resident and that is why it is asking if tax has been deducted. If you are non-resident then tax would be deducted at source.

If the landlord lives overseas, the agent is obliged to deduct income tax from the rental income unless a certain form has been filled in. I can't remember the details now, but we had to do this when we lived overseas and rented our UK house out.

I would have thought that it should be zero too.

Does the agency already deduct it at source or have you been paid gross(you would have compleetd a form to enable you to do so)?

I've managed to get through to them on the phone now, thanks for your suggestions.

You need to leave it blank rather than enter a zero - the system doesn't like zeros and doesn't tell you that on the help button.