Please help a self assessment first timer (or move along)

Vladimir1720

Would appreciate any help with self assessment.
Yes, I am leaving it till the last minute (last 8 days, whatever)
Timeline:
August 2013 - quit my job
Aug '13 to Feb '14 - jobless
Feb '14 to Apr '14 - private tutor (which means self employed) I earned a couple of hundred quid a month doing a few hours here and there.

Slight complication: The numpties in the HR dept at my old company had an incorrect address for me (someone in the dept is LYsDeXicK). Long story short, no P45, no P60 to hand. I always thought that I'd just log on to the online system which holds my e-payslips and add it all up, but my user account has been culled.

Question: I got a letter from HMRC: a Tax Calculation for tax year 2013-2014. Can I use the earning figures from that?

Cheers

Vlad

p.s. I will post more questions as I go through, probably, at the moment I am 1% of the way through the self assessment, but hey, at least I am online, my user account works just fine, and I just have to fill in the damn thing. I will be glued to the laptop till 16:30 so hopefully I will make some headway by then!

zygurat789

Vladimir1720 wrote: »

Would appreciate any help with self assessment.
Yes, I am leaving it till the last minute (last 8 days, whatever)
Timeline:
August 2013 - quit my job
Aug '13 to Feb '14 - jobless
Feb '14 to Apr '14 - private tutor (which means self employed) I earned a couple of hundred quid a month doing a few hours here and there.

Slight complication: The numpties in the HR dept at my old company had an incorrect address for me (someone in the dept is LYsDeXicK). Long story short, no P45, no P60 to hand. I always thought that I'd just log on to the online system which holds my e-payslips and add it all up, but my user account has been culled.

Question: I got a letter from HMRC: a Tax Calculation for tax year 2013-2014. Can I use the earning figures from that?

Cheers

Vlad

p.s. I will post more questions as I go through, probably, at the moment I am 1% of the way through the self assessment, but hey, at least I am online, my user account works just fine, and I just have to fill in the damn thing. I will be glued to the laptop till 16:30 so hopefully I will make some headway by then!

You need the amount you have been paid and the tax that has been deducted from it.
Phone your last employer. Whatever the reason you left, whoever answers it in HR probably won't remember or even know.

Vladimir1720

I've given them a couple of calls. No luck so far (front desk answers, but HR goes to voicemail). I left them a message, but I'm not holding my breath.

I can only hope that they would have the e-payslips somewhere?

My tax calculation letter that I received from HMRC does state how much they think I earned as well as Benefits in Kind I received from the old company, so I'm happy to go with those figures for now. All I need to get through that bit is the Employer's PAYE Reference, which at the moment I cannot find.

mgdavid

Do you have *any* monthly payslips from that employment?
The PAYE reference will (should) be on each and every one.
So should the cumulative YTD figures for gross pay and tax paid so if your salary/wages were stable and consistent (i.e. no overtime or bonuses) you can work out the figures for 5 months and cross-check against the HMRC letter.

zygurat789

Vladimir1720 wrote: »

I've given them a couple of calls. No luck so far (front desk answers, but HR goes to voicemail). I left them a message, but I'm not holding my breath.

I can only hope that they would have the e-payslips somewhere?

My tax calculation letter that I received from HMRC does state how much they think I earned as well as Benefits in Kind I received from the old company, so I'm happy to go with those figures for now. All I need to get through that bit is the Employer's PAYE Reference, which at the moment I cannot find.

Those figures may well be correct, that is not your main problem. You NEED to enter the tax deducted by PAYE or you will be charged again for it.
If you can find a PAYE reference for your employer then you may be able to get the actual figures from HMRC.

Vladimir1720

zygurat789 wrote: »

Those figures may well be correct, that is not your main problem. You NEED to enter the tax deducted by PAYE or you will be charged again for it.
If you can find a PAYE reference for your employer then you may be able to get the actual figures from HMRC.

Ok, thanks for that info. I will make sure I find the section where I enter the tax deducted by PAYE.

I have heard from my old boss who confirmed the employer PAYE reference, so at least that's something. So can I ring HMRC and ask them for the figures now that I'm armed with that info?

Vladimir1720

mgdavid wrote: »

Do you have *any* monthly payslips from that employment?
The PAYE reference will (should) be on each and every one.
So should the cumulative YTD figures for gross pay and tax paid so if your salary/wages were stable and consistent (i.e. no overtime or bonuses) you can work out the figures for 5 months and cross-check against the HMRC letter.

Thanks for your reply.

I have none of the payslips, none at all.

My earning was stable, however. No overtime or bonuses.
By 5 months, I assume you mean that I should count April-August?
I earned about 10K in those 5 months.
Then I was without a job until March, when I earned about £480.
HRMC did send me a cheque for overpaid tax already, to the tune of roughly £1K. I obviously promptly cashed it.

zygurat789

Vladimir1720 wrote: »

Thanks for your reply.

I have none of the payslips, none at all.

My earning was stable, however. No overtime or bonuses.
By 5 months, I assume you mean that I should count April-August?
I earned about 10K in those 5 months.
Then I was without a job until March, when I earned about £480.
HRMC did send me a cheque for overpaid tax already, to the tune of roughly £1K. I obviously promptly cashed it.

Don't forget to mention that on page 3 of "Tell us about you"

Vladimir1720

zygurat789 wrote: »

Don't forget to mention that on page 3 of "Tell us about you"

Thanks. Page 3? I'm doing it online, but hopefully the section has the same name "tell us about you"?
Cheers
Vlad

zygurat789

Vladimir1720 wrote: »

Thanks. Page 3? I'm doing it online, but hopefully the section has the same name "tell us about you"?
Cheers
Vlad

3. Tailor your return

• File a return
• 1. Welcome
• 2. Tell us about you
• 3. Tailor your return
• 4. Fill in your return
• 5. Check your return
• 6. View your calculation
• 7. Save your return
• 8. Submit your return
• Provide feedback
• Tax return options
• How to pay

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Vladimir1720

Hi all. Thanks for the replies and advice.
The HR department bods replied to my emails and have made my P45 and payslips available to me. Nice of them.
I think I have all the info I need now.

When it comes to national insurance contributions, how low does my income have to be for me to be eligible for a small earnings exemption?