Please help - a complete and utter novice!

lisaf

Hi All,

please help if you can. My ex OH (still on very amicable terms due to the kids)! is in a real pickle with his last and final tax return.
Basically he has never filled one in before as he had a friend who did it for him for a few years but he has moved abroad and he cannot get a hold of him.
He was a self-employed driver but lost his contracts in October 2008.
Since then he has been doing a course and earning a very minimal amount each month (which the tax man knows about as it's paye).
He has fallen behind with his tax payments and spoke to the tax office last week who said they need a tax return filled in for 2007/08 and up to Oct 08.
He has rec's this in the post and brought it 'round to me to help with but we are both really stuck - all sites just direct me back to directgov and that doesn't help.
When I say we just really do not know how to start I mean it would have to be explained to us like 3 year olds!
If he doesn't get this done by this weekend they said they are going to estimate it which will make it a large bill and then he's in even more trouble.
Please help!
Lisa

John_Pierpoint

Please read the forum at this busy time - lots of people are foolish enough to ignore such situations and end up in your situation.

I've just put "Taxi" into a advanced search of this part of the forum.

Can I suggest you do the same.

Here is a typical, though more deserving example of a fellow taxpayer.

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?p=24054739&highlight=taxi#post24054739

glider3560

Talk about leaving things to the last minute, the deadline is tomorrow!!

What is it that you need explaining? If you have records for the year and previous returns to refer to, then you shouldn't have too many problems.

John_Pierpoint

Still doing 07/08 as well as 08/09 :eek:
(The last day of the former being 5th April and the first day of the latter 6th April 2008)

Presumably ex OH has been getting demands for payment on account. as I cannot believe his profit is below the payment on account level ?

He has rec's this in the post and brought it 'round to me to help with but we are both really stuck - all sites just direct me back to directgov and that doesn't help.

Perhaps this is the system trying to explain that step one is to sign up for the computer access codes - that will take a fortnight.

Anyone know when the 08/09 system gets turned off to prepare for 09/10?
Presumably 07/08 has to be done on the nice coloured forms and mailed in?
I think |I would start with the on-line 08/09 as the system corrects you as you go along and allows you to experiment with "what if" entries so you can say "woops that cannot be right according to the numbers on the back of an envelope that I've done already".

If someone cannot cope with filling in a football pools coupon, they won't manage a self assessment entry BUT I've only met one couple who could not manage a pools coupon.

Anniek1969

I know how you are feeling. I filled ours in online last year but never deducted his personal allowance for 07/08 and have only just discovered that I should have. I wondered why we were paying more in tax than some of his workmates.

I am now trying to fill in this years but can't find how or where you deduct the personal allowance. I'm normally very good with these things but this one has me tearing my hair out.

glider3560

Anniek1969 wrote: »

I know how you are feeling. I filled ours in online last year but never deducted his personal allowance for 07/08 and have only just discovered that I should have. I wondered why we were paying more in tax than some of his workmates.

I am now trying to fill in this years but can't find how or where you deduct the personal allowance. I'm normally very good with these things but this one has me tearing my hair out.

Surely the system deducts your personal allowance for you when it calculates the tax that is due?

Anniek1969

I worked out myself that if his profit was £10300 his tax would be £853 would that be about right?

When I filled in the form it said his tax due was £1600.

glider3560

Anniek1969 wrote: »

I worked out myself that if his profit was £10300 his tax would be £853 would that be about right?

When I filled in the form it said his tax due was £1600.

What is his tax code? Does he have any outstanding tax due from previous years? Any other income?

Does the £1600 include his National Insurance Contributions?

Anniek1969

He hasn't received any notification of his tax code. He does have some outstanding for last year and we have no other income.

glider3560

Anniek1969 wrote: »

He hasn't received any notification of his tax code. He does have some outstanding for last year and we have no other income.

Do they give a breakdown of the £1600? Do they show how it is calculated?

Anniek1969

They don't give a breakdown it just says that
Total tax, Class 4 NIC and Student loan due for 2008-09 £1,637.49
First payment on account for 2009-10 £818.00

Payment due by 31 January 2010 This amount does not take into account any 2008-09 payments on account you may have already made.

£2,455.49