Totally self-pitying, left it to the last minute, tax return thread

[LonnyVonnyWilsonFrickett]

Waaaaaah! Every year I leave it till the last minute (and I know this isn't strictly speaking the last minute and some of you cheeky monkeys will be leaving it even later!).

Why do I do it to myself, why?

Those who are doing your returns now .....

before you congratulate yourself on filing it, sort out the first 10 months of next year so that being ready for mid April to file is a doddle

The states makes us bear the burden and excepts us to be grateful. When we have to do this 4 times a year.... much worse. Lobby your MP now,

My DH has had to go away for seven weeks on business he's also off shore this whole week with no signal or WiFi. I usually do his tax (input it all) but he will have totted up income, expenses such as petrol, materials and I add on things like mobile,, home office.

I'm going demented as I don't know which books are this year's or lasts as they have no dates. Iv had to pull out twelve months of bank statements and do it that way.

Will need to try sort it tomoro evening at my mums as my laptops also just blown up yday. This is a nightmare. My brothers a chartered accountant, does his sister in laws and my other brothers but won't do this as he says we are more than capable 😭

I'm a private tutor. I spend 90% of my working life lecturing teens on how their lives will be much easier and they'll do much better if they don't leave things until the last minute...
Guess how much of my tax return is done?!!
I have most of my figures sorted and tomorrow is going to be the day. This is the year that I'll do my next one in April.

+Can I claim my own time for doing my tax return at my usual consultancy rate? (Should charge myself a premium for being a high maintenance clients How about the out of hours mcdonalds I had to have to sustain me? Weak joke*

I'm considering claiming gin as an essential business expense for getting the bloody thing done.

I've only been SE since August. Am I correct in thinking I don't need to submit until next year? So should be gathering my documents (what, incidentally?) come April?

Yes slithy you lucky devil, the tax period due now is April 2014-April 2015. Fancy doing mine as practice? I will pay in wine/cake.

Make the time guys and do it! I buried my head so much last time I'm now paying off the £1200 fine I accrued :(
Could have been a holiday or towards extension!
Don't delay - complete today!!

Oh god, I must be like a tax Saint!!! I had it in my head that I must have everything ready and given to my accountant on 6th April, no later!!! And have done this religiously for 3 years!
The girls in the office where she works must snigger their heads off when they see me diving in at 16.59 on the 6th April to ensure I don't miss my deadline.
Ffs! I could leave it another whole 9 months

Ooh slithy, you asked the question I was going to ask. So for anyone you became self employed after April 2015, when do we submit a tax return?

I've registered for SA I think

No idea how to calculate this first year though as I was employed, recieving may pay before hand.

If you became self employed in April 2015 then you have income for the 2015/16 tax year. You declare that income on a tax return you can complete any time from 6 April 2016 I believe (no need to leave it until January 2017). You will need to apply for the online log in details too. Also make sure you keep a record of expenses and income and also any interest paid to you on bank accounts etc as that goes on too

Help me
I'm intending to submit tomorrow (hopefully).
I have a few 'questions' that I can't seem to find the answers to.
In 14/15 I was 'paid' by a former employer due to a glitch on payroll and I need to pay the money back. However, on my SA do I include the payment as 'earnings' ( no tax was deducted) as I did indeed received the money even though I have to pay it back this year?
Also, I work part time for an employer (12 hours, no tax deducted) and work from home (sole trader).
Could anyone clarify how to calculate home office expenses, please ( I live in a rented property).

lovebeyondwords

DG2016 thank you - so helpful!

Wah! I'm in this situation too! I have to send work back to my clients using special delivery and I claim this back from them on each invoice. Do I consider this as an expense? Thanks so much!

If you charge a client an expense and the client pays that to you then you have not reduced your income by that expense so it is not claimable. So when I travel to see a client the cost is on the bill and that's not a travel expense. When I travel for work and will not be paid for that by the client it IS then an expense and in fact almost every day of the year I write that or some other expense down ready for tax return day.

On this
"I have a few 'questions' that I can't seem to find the answers to.
In 14/15 I was 'paid' by a former employer due to a glitch on payroll and I need to pay the money back. However, on my SA do I include the payment as 'earnings' ( no tax was deducted) as I did indeed received the money even though I have to pay it back this year?"
I would probably leave it off but in the space for "Notes" on the return just jot down what panneed in a few words as HMRC automatic systems may well find an anomaly later with your return compared with the employer PAYE records which may well show so far that you WERE paid the sum.

"Also, I work part time for an employer (12 hours, no tax deducted) and work from home (sole trader).
Could anyone clarify how to calculate home office expenses, please ( I live in a rented property)."
It is as clear as mud which is why it's so unfair when people complain about people not getting their tax right - the rules are ridiculously complex. HMRC have some guidance on if you use a room only for work so eg if that room is one of 4 rooms you have then a quarter of things like heat and light might be deductible. If you use it for other purposes too then claim a bit less. I have a separate work fax line (yes I know very old fasioned). I have a separate work phoen and separate work broadband line at home and the family has a seoarate telephone line and broadband connnection so that's fairly easy to decide over but then you get to something like our homeburglar alarm telephone line which obviously protects client files as well as us - never easy to kno what proportion of something like that relates to work and what doesn't . Err on the side of caution as if someone claims a much higher % than most people in their industry do then it will throw up a flat a HMRC and they may challenge it.

Ah, I see. I had originally thought not to claim it. Just to include the amount I bill for my work and pay tax on that. Leaving the special delivery postage I have paid and have had paid back to me out of the equation. Do you think that's right? God, can't believe I've left it so late. What is wrong with me?!

Thank you very much indeed.

Yes leave the special delivery out of the equation. Whereas if the client would not be paying that charge (which is the case with some of my work) then I would claim for it. You might use a car for work and then there is the vexed question of what % of the costs to claim. House insurance might partly be attributable to work.

I am sure some people do claim twice from client and HMRC but if you were ever inspected and the invoices looked at they could see you had had the expense covered so would be in trouble.

Thank you so much. Want to be completely above board on everything! Terrified about making a mistake.