Am I in trouble with tax/tax credit?

onionbunion

I became self employes in 2003 and told the tax people, and heard nothing more (I mean nothing more at all and still have not.) I've never done a tax return or been asked for anything or anything like that and until today I assumed it was because I claim tax credit and they got my (low) income from that, and that was my paperwork basically because I only ever earned a profit of about £3500 - 5000 ish. apart from one year when I earned £10 000 and I put that on my form.
However I've just got married so I'm in the process of filling in forms etc having phoned the tax credit people to report a change in circumstance and they want a tax reference number from my tax return, or they want to know when I first started being self employed if I've not been self employed long enough to have that number.
What number???
Phoned my sister and she said I should have been doing tax returns all this time even if I was getting tax credit.
But no one has ever asked me for anything. (except the tax credit people on my annual return, and they just wanted me to confirm my details)
Am I in trouble? Is she right or am I? What do I do. I'm too scared to phone the tax office and I

Valli

How did you tell the tax people? Letter (which you have a copy of, naturally;))
Phone call?

Bite the bullet and call them, telling them when,and how they were initially informed of your self employed status.

onionbunion

No I phoned them, when I left full time uni, and was to be starting to care for someone but then I was told by the person I was to be looking after that they didn't need me after all, so I signed on for income support, but only for a couple of weeks as then the person decided they did want me, so I started as self employed again but didn't bother telling the tax people then because thought I already had. I did put it on my tax credit form the first year that I was self employed so I thought that counted
I lost most of my pre 2003 papers anyway when I left my ex (that's why I had to leave uni in the first place) but I know I didn't receive anything.
I'm a really honest person honestly. I don't want to have done anything dodgy and I'm scared to death. My sister has told me they could arrest me for tax evasion and claiming tax credits without paying tax. Is that true?

saveallmymoney

You should have been filling tax returns although i don't think you'll owe any tax with those low earnings, probably just some national insurance but maybe not even that.

p00hsticks

I think your best bet is to get in touch with HMRC and explain that you think you may owe some tax and ask for their help in sorting it out. Whatever happens, it's going to look a lot better for you than if you don't do anything and just wait for them to find out.....