Online self assessment registration for pensioners - deadline?

itm2

My Mum usually sends in a paper tax return, but has forgotten to do it this year, so would like to file her return online (she has also lost her return form). The problem is that she hasn't yet registered to do it, and the deadline for the paper return is 31/10/15.

Her only income is from her pension and savings interest/dividends, so she files a return to reclaim tax on her savings interest.

Can anyone tell me:
1 - Is she eligible for online self assessment if she has no income apart from pension and savings interest?
2 - Is it too late for her to register for and file her tax return online for the 2014-15 tax year?

ManAtHome

1. Yes.
2. Probably pushing it - a few years since I signed up and it took a couple of weeks for the login details to come through the post.

Worth registering though - if it doesn't turn up in time, ask the Revenue to re-issue a tax return form (homework eaten by dog...).

[edit] Sorry, just checked the returns page - looks like you'll need to get them to send a paper return for this year. https://www.gov.uk/self-assessment-tax-returns/deadlines

itm2

ManAtHome wrote: »

1. Yes.
2. Probably pushing it - a few years since I signed up and it took a couple of weeks for the login details to come through the post.

Worth registering though - if it doesn't turn up in time, ask the Revenue to re-issue a tax return form (homework eaten by dog...).

[edit] Sorry, just checked the returns page - looks like you'll need to get them to send a paper return for this year. https://www.gov.uk/self-assessment-tax-returns/deadlines

Uh-oh...looks like it'll be a mad rush! Many thanks for that.

In the meantime I requested a registration for her self-assessment via the HMRC site and got an immediate reply saying that she already had a Self Assessment record with a Unique Taxpayer Reference (UTR). The problem is that she has no idea what her UTR is, and there wasn't one printed on her tax return last year. Looks like we'll have to join the 45 minute telephone queue at HMRC :0(

jennifernil

My sympathies.....my OH has a somewhat similar problem with being told he is registered, even though he has never registered, and therefore cannot get into the system as he has no idea about access details.

Maybe they will manage to get it sorted out one day.

Anyway.......

Does your Mum actually pay any tax?

If not, she can register for gross interest on most accounts. She could do that for the current year to save future problems. Tax on dividends cannot be reclaimed.

Then, if it is only some interest to reclaim, she should be able to use form R40.

From next year I think all interest will be paid gross.

itm2

jennifernil wrote: »

Does your Mum actually pay any tax?

If not, she can register for gross interest on most accounts. She could do that for the current year to save future problems. Tax on dividends cannot be reclaimed.

Then, if it is only some interest to reclaim, she should be able to use form R40.

From next year I think all interest will be paid gross.

Thanks - that's a good idea. No, she doesn't pay any tax. The only problem is that it seems Form R85 (registration for payment of gross interest) was withdrawn from the HMRC website on 8 April 2015.
???

xylophone

R85 was withdrawn from the HMRC website on 8 April 2015.

The form is here for 2015-16

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/income-tax-get-interest-without-tax-taken-off-r85-from-6-april-2015

Paper return here

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/438649/sa100.pdf

Does she have no old return showing a UTR?

itm2

xylophone wrote: »

The form is here for 2015-16

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/income-tax-get-interest-without-tax-taken-off-r85-from-6-april-2015

Paper return here

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/438649/sa100.pdf

Does she have no old return showing a UTR?

Thanks so much - that's really helpful.

No there's no UTR on last year's return, so it looks like we'll need to go through the pain of a phone queue to recover it.

agrinnall

I don't understand why people are saying it's too late to register and submit online, she has until 31/01/2016 to do it. There will be thousand, possibly millions, of people who haven't given it any thought at all yet, some of whom will come on here in late January bleating about not having enough time.

itm2

agrinnall wrote: »

I don't understand why people are saying it's too late to register and submit online, she has until 31/01/2016 to do it. There will be thousand, possibly millions, of people who haven't given it any thought at all yet, some of whom will come on here in late January bleating about not having enough time.

According to the link below (kindly provided by ManAtHome) the deadline for registration for Self Assessment was 5/10/15:
https://www.gov.uk/self-assessment-tax-returns/deadlines

ceh209

itm2 wrote: »

According to the link below (kindly provided by ManAtHome) the deadline for registration for Self Assessment was 5/10/15:
https://www.gov.uk/self-assessment-tax-returns/deadlines

But she is already registered for Self Assessment. She now needs to register for online filing.

itm2

ceh209 wrote: »

But she is already registered for Self Assessment. She now needs to register for online filing.

No - that's the thing. She's never registered for online filing, so we have no idea why HMRC think she has a UTR. If she genuinely did have one then I would expect it to be shown on her tax return form from last year (or previous years), but it wasn't.