Tax return blues - would a bit of solidarity help?

[billy_bob]

I said I wouldn't do it and I have - I've left the bloody thing till now.

I was only partially self-employed during 2013-14, but I've no head for figures and finances and even the three months I've got to file for are enough to make me long for the blessed release from responsibility of early onset dementia.

I thought a thread where I and fellow returnees could rant, whimper, and maybe even offer the odd bit of supportive advice to each other might help?

On the bright side, in three weeks' time it'll be at least eleven months before the next time I realise I've left it all dangerously late, lost my HMRC login details, and kept woefully incomplete records of just about everything

 

[cypher79]

I know how you feel. I've got loads of paperwork and receipts here for my tax return, but I just can't be arsed/doing with it. I keep looking at it hoping it will go away......but it isn't

 

[billy_bob]

Have just realised I misunderstood the 'interest you have been paid' section, adding several hundred pounds to my calculated bill! Back to square one

I suppose in fairness the process is about as simple as it could be, and most of the problems I have are caused by my own cretinousness. Still, they could have more £££ out of me if I spent less time doing this and more doing paid work.

Thank god for the online forms, at least. I would have wasted about six paper copies by now.....

 

[bemused]

Urgh, I did mine the moment I was able and paid the tax man a substantial lump of cash only them to fine me a further £70 for not ticking one of their poorly label boxes.

The online tax return system isn't user friendly.

 

[billy_bob]

£70 for not ticking one of their poorly label boxes.

That's a pretty steep rate per tick.

I'm thinking it might be worth paying an accountant not to do it for me but just to talk me through the form next time (when it'll be a much bigger job because I'll have been self-employed for most of the year). I don't find the form too unfriendly - it's the wording of the questions themselves that throws me.

 

[_angel_]

Technically, I could file it now, as there is nothing to pay, but I'd like to get all the little bits and pieces done properly for my own peace of mind. So it's going to take a few more days before I can do this.

 

[purenarcotic]

I almost cried yesterday on the phone to hmrc when they told me I didn't need to fill one out and they could just make an adjustment on the system as I only did a short bit of sessional work before my job. The form I tried to fill in the day before nearly drove me to drink, it was awful. Good luck!

 

[billy_bob]

All done

Didn't even get a nasty shock when I saw how much it reckoned I owe. Although that may just be the proof that I've done it wrong.....

 

[StoneRoad]

Has anybody had the *delight* of using the 'phone helpline this year ?
I *might* need it this year ................ one of the potential problems with the form when you do work that doesn't "fit" the system, although this may be OK - further study needed.
No wonder tax accountants do so well.

 

[billy_bob]

I used the phone line a few times when I first registered and found them generally helpful, tbh. I know that's not everyone's experience. This is presumably the worst fortnight of the year to be trying to get any sense out of them, of course.

 

[cypher79]

I finally got around to doing mine today, only to find that my login details are not being accepted so requested them, only to find that they send them by post and it takes a week! This is getting too close for comfort...

 

[pesh]

every time i add the numbers up i get a different total

 

[purenarcotic]

Has anybody had the *delight* of using the 'phone helpline this year ?
I *might* need it this year ................ one of the potential problems with the form when you do work that doesn't "fit" the system, although this may be OK - further study needed.
No wonder tax accountants do so well.

I used the helpline the other day and found them really helpful. I had something that didn't fit the system and the lovely woman on the other end sorted it all out for me.

 

[billy_bob]

I find the payment bit slightly disconcerting.

It feels like the way it should work is, you fill the forms in and submit them, the system emails you a breakdown and what you owe and points you to exactly the right part of the site you need to be on to pay. I don't know if I went the long way round, but it felt like it took me several clicks to many and a detour through another bit of the .gov.uk site before I got to the right place. I did momentarily wonder whether it was legit or not....

 

[cesare]

I find the payment bit slightly disconcerting.

It feels like the way it should work is, you fill the forms in and submit them, the system emails you a breakdown and what you owe and points you to exactly the right part of the site you need to be on to pay. I don't know if I went the long way round, but it felt like it took me several clicks to many and a detour through another bit of the .gov.uk site before I got to the right place. I did momentarily wonder whether it was legit or not....

On the feedback-on-our-beta-model-survey option, I said it would be helpful if they made it clear that it was a secure payment page because it wasn't obvious.

 

[RubyToogood]

I got sent a surprise letter requesting me to fill in a tax return the other day. I don't know why, I'm all PAYE apart from a bit of interest which I think is taxed at source anyway. I haven't really kept records because I've never had to submit a tax return before in my life and also I've been extremely ill and am just returning to work. I haven't really done anything about it yet. The sum total of my achievements has been to find the letter after losing it.

So it's all a bit fucked.

 

[billy_bob]

I got sent a surprise letter requesting me to fill in a tax return the other day. I don't know why, I'm all PAYE apart from a bit of interest which I think is taxed at source anyway. I haven't really kept records because I've never had to submit a tax return before in my life and also I've been extremely ill and am just returning to work. I haven't really done anything about it yet. The sum total of my achievements has been to find the letter after losing it.

So it's all a bit fucked.

I guess it's because of the interest (there's a place on the form to declare this, even if it has already been taxed) - but I've been in the same position (no non-PAYE earnings except tiny amount of interest) in past years and was never asked to do a return for it. I'd ring them and check - good luck getting through at this point though....

 

[RubyToogood]

I guess it's because of the interest (there's a place on the form to declare this, even if it has already been taxed) - but I've been in the same position (no non-PAYE earnings except tiny amount of interest) in past years and was never asked to do a return for it. I'd ring them and check - good luck getting through at this point though....

I probably need to find out how much interest I did earn... the bit of paper will be somewhere... <sigh>

It might also be because I was working two jobs for a while. They seemed to deduct an unreasonably large amount for that retrospectively

 

[editor]

I can't even begin to tell you how much I dread this yearly nightmare.

 

[billy_bob]

I probably need to find out how much interest I did earn... the bit of paper will be somewhere... <sigh>

It might also be because I was working two jobs for a while. They seemed to deduct an unreasonably large amount for that retrospectively

I found it easier to just ring the institution that paid me interest. I generally don't understand bits of paper sent to me by banks etc.....

 

[DexterTCN]

I finally got around to doing mine today, only to find that my login details are not being accepted so requested them, only to find that they send them by post and it takes a week! This is getting too close for comfort...

Have you phoned them and explained why there will be a delay so you can get an extension? Otherwise you will have to appeal a £100 late filing penalty - which is a lot more hassle and you may lose the appeal. 03002003310

btw it's up to two weeks for those details to arrive.

 

[billy_bob]

Have you phoned them and explained why there will be a delay so you can get an extension? Otherwise you will have to appeal a £100 late filing penalty - which is a lot more hassle and you may lose the appeal. 03002003310

btw it's up to two weeks for those details to arrive.

Yep, I've heard, from others who've asked for extensions for far more complex reasons, that they're actually fairly easy to get - as long as you sort it with them before the deadline. After that they get a lot less nice.

 

[cypher79]

I got a new user ID in the post yesterday and got my return done online today

Safe for another year...

 

[editor]

I've made two piles of my bank statements. That's a start.

 

[iamwithnail]

Finally got this done. I'll admit that I bit the bullet and got an accountant to do mine, and it's STILL a stress, was looking over the forms and stuff last night, I have no idea where I'd even start with it. Respect to Everyone who's doing their own!

 

[rorymac]

I did mine a couple of weeks ago and absolutely destroyed myself with honesty .. I'm just sharing that in an attempt to alleviate a personal sense of bereftness, confusion and abject misery and I apologise tbf. Oh my God it hurts !!

<vomits>

 

[DexterTCN]

Does anyone ever consider doing it in June or July?

 

[Looby]

Does anyone ever consider doing it in June or July?

[emoji1]

 

[SpookyFrank]

Does anyone ever consider doing it in June or July?

I did it before christmas once. Felt pretty shit hot about that.

 

[Looby]

People that claim tax credits have to do it before July so I guess that gets some into the habit of doing it early.

I'm the queen of procrastination but if I was paying payments on account/not sure what I was going to have to pay then I think I'd do it early. Probably easier to find the paperwork in April than January anyway as it might not be completely buried. [emoji1]

Also, if you're likely to need help from HMRC, trying to get in touch this week is ridiculous.