Tax Return deadlines

[janh]

Just found out today that if you do your self-assessment tax return on-line the 30 September deadline (non-self-assessment) doesn't apply - in fact the bloke seemed to imply there isn't a deadline although there must be.

online service register/login

You need a User ID which has to come through the post - have lost DH's (I'm his "accountant" - not a good one!) so have to wait for them to send it again (hence the Sept 30 discovery). It's a horrible thing with random letters and numbers so try not to lose yours.

If you send your tax return after 30 Sept then you have to calculate your own tax. However, the on-line service automatically calculates your tax. So in effect that is correct - the final deadline still applies after which they charge interest etc....

my DH spent a good few hours yesterday cursing his self assessment form.
He took it in personally this am to catch deadline.

good to know about on-line thing for future years

Janh

As far as I understand, if you fill your tax return in online then it works all your calculations out for you. So the Sep 30th deadline doesn't apply, but the Jan 30th deadline does (normally for people who work it all out themselves).

I know this as dp hasn't got round to registering himself in Spain yet (you think the IR is complicated! ). Also registering for the online thing was a complete palaver, so you should get the registration done sharpish, just in case. They may have sorted it out by now, but somehow I imagine they haven't!

I did mine on-line this year and was v.impressed - instant calculation and I've already received a cheque for £500 less than a week later
Hadn't twigged that the Sept 30 deadline wouldn't apply - in fact was paranoid it wouldn't work and I'd have to send it anyway!

Just one point tho', quite important.

If you owe any back tax (i.e. got a company car, or health insurance or summink, but didn't get an adjusted tax code), then you can't add that back tax to next years code, if you filed after 30th Sept. even on-line. IIRC

You would have to pay that back tax as a lump sum by 30th Jan 2004.

If I'm wrong, can anyone clarify.

Easy, you mean if you owe them money for anything, or just for benefits in kind?

From what I remember of filling in the form last year (which I never actually submitted when I should have, I got as far as their calculation - they owed us some money - and thought it must have gone BUT IT HADN'T, I'd missed out the last step, subsequently had 1 reminder and then a £100 penalty notice but they accepted my plea of stupidity)(I believe I posted about this when it happened) there is a point where it asks do you want to pay tax owing in a lump, or have it added to next year's notice of coding. Dunno if it's different for tax on benefits. DH's return wasn't actually properly submitted until about February but the refund cheque came through v quickly, like elliott's - my chap on the phone today didn't say anything about having to pay upfront for tax owing...there is an 0845 number on the IR site for queries, might be worth asking there?

lucy, what is the Spanish system like? What is Spanish income tax like?

Easy, you mean if you owe them money for anything, or just for benefits in kind?

From what I remember of filling in the form last year (which I never actually submitted when I should have, I got as far as their calculation - they owed us some money - and thought it must have gone BUT IT HADN'T, I'd missed out the last step, subsequently had 1 reminder and then a £100 penalty notice but they accepted my plea of stupidity)(I believe I posted about this when it happened) there is a point where it asks do you want to pay tax owing in a lump, or have it added to next year's notice of coding. Dunno if it's different for tax on benefits. DH's return wasn't actually properly submitted until about February but the refund cheque came through v quickly, like elliott's - my chap on the phone today didn't say anything about having to pay upfront for tax owing...there is an 0845 number on the IR site for queries, might be worth asking there?

lucy, what is the Spanish system like? What is Spanish income tax like?

Now you're asking!

Actually, the Spanish tax system isn't that complicated (they simplified it a couple of years ago). It's just a complete pain if you're self employed because you have to be VAT registered (no threshold) and you have to file accounts every quarter, and pay 20% of all profits. You then make a full claim at the end of the year, adding in all your tax allowances. It means that for the average earner, the tax system always owes you money!

Tax amounts are broadly similar to UK tax - although I think you pay a little more if you are a high earner. But local tax is added to income tax so there's no council tax. On the other hand there's no family tax credit. Now my head is spinning!

Janh,

I believe any underpaid tax, for whatever reason will have to be paid as a lump sum if you file after today, that was the case last year.

I would ring your local tax office btw, as the helpline is probably v. busy today

SORRY I couldn't reply sooner

Thanks, Easy - can't be helped anyway, haven't got the online user code yet and was too late to get the form in the post yesterday. DH is on PAYE anyway so there are usually only little adjustments either way. Shall bear it in mind though!

Lucy, quarterly accounts sound a right pain, do you have an accountant or do you have to do them yourselves?

The 30th September deadline is for those wanting to know how much they have to pay on 31 Jan. If the Return is in by 30 Sept the IR GUARANTEE to process it & let you know well before 31 Jan. Returns submitted after that date they do not have to let you know & it is no excuse not to pay in time on the grounds that "they didn't send me a statement".

If you are PAYE and have some extra to pay, usually as long as the Return is in in October- no later- the amount can be included in your tax code. After that you have to pay a lump sum on 31 Jan.

The unpronounceable user code arrived today (V Good, Inland Revenue!) so have just submitted DH's return - he gets a refund, hooray, but the form said that if you file online before Dec 30 you can have tax owed added to next year's coding - it didn't differentiate between tax on benefits and other kinds and you get whole extra 3 months, apparently.

Also I have to say it is an ace way to do it - instead of having to wade through pages and pages ticking boxes, as you go through the different sections you get a summary page - eg "do you have any income from A,B,C,D or E?" - and if you just tick A then you only get the boxes that relate to A and not the others. Very well-designed system.

Yes, I thought it was pretty neat too. Hopefully you'll get that refund in your sweaty hand within the week

i have just done my return on-line - it is so simple and easy (provided of course you have all your info to hand before you start!). fantastic!

hi janh, you weren't so enamoured of the system last year iirc?

...it took me 25mins to do the return on-line and ages to catch up on our household filing to find my P60, etc...

Hi, bk! Goodness, do you have total recall - or have you been searching?

TBF, the initial mistake last year was mine - I only blamed the IR for the rest of it! But they let DH off the fine. This year he got a nice rebate when the return first went in, and then after a couple of months a letter asking for most of it back - so he rang them and cheekily asked if he could add it to his code for next year and they said OK!

i searched to find this thread and found last year's one where everyone was complaining... i shouldn't have brought it up, should i? sorry

i'm glad it's all gone so much more easily this time.

thank goodness i've finally got mine done. i always sail close to the wind with the deadline and i've had a fine before too!

Yes you should, it's nice to remember those lovely moments!

Last year DH also had problems with the online form (it crashed when he sent it) and they even said he hadn't done it so he got a fine.... but after having proved that he had done it - he kept a copy (which for some reason was almost emptty but proved it had been done) they refunded his fine. I get my accounant to do it.... yes I am lazy !

I've been told I can't file my tax return on line as I am a civil servant. I tried to do it and it kept saying there was a problem, so I rang up and they gave this as the reason. Anyone else heard of this? I have now sent the sodding thing by post and hope the PO don't lose it!