Accountant fees for claiming Previous year tax

skyjumper

hi there,

I approached an accountant to reclaim the previous years tax from HMRC. the tax reclaim was due to some professional subscriptions which was tax exempt. i wasn't sure what was exempt and what needs to be claimed. tried ringing the HMRC helpline, but again was not very clear about things. I was doing this for the first time.

so approached the Accountant who gave me a approximate of £900 to be reclaimed for the past 5 years and said they need to charge me for the services rendered.
the bill was £350+VAT totalling £411.25, to be paid initially. i agreed to this and they processed my claim. now i have got a letter from the HMRC informing me that they owe me 247.72 (not calculations given; it says a detailed letter has been sent to my Agent/Accountant)

I've lost money trying to claim for the tax which I have paid over the years. is there anything I can do. I haven't spoken to the Accountant yet and would appreciate any suggestions before I speak to them

thanks in advance

Cook_County

qualified tax advisers do not work on contingent fees so the amount of refund would have no relationship to the fee.

You got service you requested but it seems there must have been something such a coding adjustment your tax adviser was not aware of. I assume they can check online if you call them.

Debt_Free_Dreamer

Sorry Skyjumper, it is a bit late for you and I have no advice with regard to your Accountant's bill.

However, anyone else reading this in the future, if you think you pay for any subscriptions which might be allowable, just write to your tax office and send them the name of the subscription you pay, the amount and the tax year you are claiming for. (Along with your name, address and NI number) I have just received a cheque for £450 for simple letter for my CIPFA Accountant subscriptions, which I usually tend to claim every few years, as I cannot be bothered to do it annually.

Don't bother phoning, I find you never get anywhere with organisations like this one the phone, just write.

You don't need an accountant to claim these fees back, don't get ripped off.

I have just come accross this link http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/list3/ which details the subscriptions which are allowable for deductions for tax purposes. Thanks to another poster.

skyjumper

thnka cook county and Debt free Dreamer for the replies

I 'm planning to speak to my accountant regarding this and see if there is any adjustments they could do as their quote was not entirely accepted by the HMRC. will keep you posted of the outcome

thanks again