Sudden demand for 4 years of Tax Returns but I have not worked, nor Self Employedwhy?

belinea2010

Hi dori2o

Thanks for the reply

Nope, not named as anything.

Even when I was self employed back in the 90s it was just under my own name, no company involved.

It's all confusing if I am honest.

xHannahx

Google search your name and town. This may indicate if any business is linked to you, even non trading.

I've done mine this evening, pointless exercise really. I'm non trading but they still send me it through every year.

belinea2010

Hi xHannahx

Out of curiosity I just tried the google thing, my name + village, my name + nearest city and my name + county and nothing at all, not a blooming mention any where...

I'm a non entity hah...

Anatidaephobia

belinea2010 wrote: »

He had spoken to the person who had made the recent note on my file and the upshot is I have been invited to write in and formally ask for the returns to be cancelled.

The way he explained it is, just a short covering letter saying I had spoken to him and as the file shows my tax affairs were up to date and closed in 1997' and as I have not been self employed since, and as for the periods the requested tax returns cover ie: 2011 - 2014 I have been to ill to work and in receipt of none taxable benefits, I request that the demand for Self Assessment returns are with drawn.

He said that this would trigger an internal appeal and things can be taken from there.

If he has established over the phone that there is no requirement for the returns, I don't know why he didn't arrange for them to be cancelled. This is what they would normally do rather than suggest the request be made in writing.

Anyway, at least you have made big progress here. If it were me, I would refer to that phone call in your letter so that it's clear that you're writing in to request the returns be cancelled as per the agreement of the advisor you spoke to on 30/04/2015. It may take something in the region of eight weeks or so before they actually get around to reading your letter.

PlutoinCapricorn

xHannahx wrote: »

The 10th July date stands out to me as not right. Self assessments for 2014-15 have until the autumn/winter to be completed.

The 'normal' dates apply to people who are in the system. They get reminders early in the tax year.

If HMRC contact people out of the blue, they often give special deadlines e.g. "6 weeks from the date of this letter." The OP had until July to complete several years' returns that HMRC sent for no apparent reason.

belinea2010

Thanks everyone for the support and suggestions.

I have composed a letter and sent it by recorded delivery.

If they normally cancel tax returns over the phone it's a bit concerning why they didn't this time, I have no idea how these things normally work.

All I can do now is wait and see what they say.

I will post back here if I hear anything but in the meantime thank you to everyone.

Belinea

PlutoinCapricorn

HMRC may metaphorically be looking in old coat pockets and down the backs of sofas trying to find some money from somewhere.

They definitely target groups such as taxi drivers and private tutors from time to time, hoping to catch them under-declaring income and over-claiming expenses; they trawl various sources looking for people who are getting money via a business but have not registered as self-employed. They may be going through a list of people who stopped being self-employed but have not become PAYE. They may have information, but want to hear it from the people they target to see how honest they are!

It is uncanny how these things often come at a very bad time. I hope that you have done enough now, but perhaps you could phone the nice man around the end of May if you have not heard anything.

PlutoinCapricorn

Maybe HMRC want a letter from you to get what you told them in writing and as evidence from outside that will stop someone else doing it all again!

Will you be getting another companion?

PlutoinCapricorn

PS Googling your Postcode sometimes brings up interesting discoveries: half of my neighbours are company directors!

belinea2010

I don't know too much about my neighbours, most of them are fairly new as they are all tenants like me but I do know the one home owner in the road is a company director as it happens.

It's too early for me to even think about another dog if I am honest and i don't think my mindset is right. I still can't properly grieve the loss of my lad until this HMRC crap is over.

Maybe later down the road a dog will come along that needs a forever home and we click but my previous dog was so special that he is a hard act to follow.