Thought I had submitted tax form online

ZZaffy

Today, I received a fine from HMRC for £100.
In August 2017, I filled in my tax form on the Gateway Gov site and thought I had submitted it.
Turns out, after filling in the form the website locks you out. You have to sign in again to complete the action of submitting the form. I did not do this. There was no instruction to say to do this. I did not need to go back into my account again and I presumed I had completed my task of filing my return for 2017 so I left the website.
When I rang HMRC, the rep said I was not alone in this mistake.
Anyone else done the same thing?

TheCyclingProgrammer

Nope, not sure what you mean by locked out, but it!!!8217;s always prudent to double check that your return has been submitted and received by logging into your tax account before the deadline.

BooJewels

ZZaffy wrote: »

Turns out, after filling in the form the website locks you out. You have to sign in again to complete the action of submitting the form.

Maybe you were locked out for some reason; losing internet connection, site traffic or some such, but it's not part of the process - I've submitted mine on-line since they first invited me to beta test the new site some years ago and have always done it in one single session. In fact, I'd be more reluctant to walk away from it for fear of losing data already submitted, even though it says it saves it as you go along.

It tells you at the end that you've not yet submitted your return and that you haven't done so until you get a receipt from them. It then gives you a receipt on the page with the option to print it etc. which has a long reference number which contains all the data in your return - this no. also appears on each page of the pdf of the submitted return. You also get the option to download or print a copy of your submitted return. A day or so later, you get an email receipt to say your submission has been accepted as complete, they then write to you with confirmation of their assessment a couple of weeks later.

So if it was your first time, you might not have known what to expect, but they do talk you through it quite clearly and there is no doubt that it has been submitted when done so.

DigForVictory

Definitely worth trying an appeal.

Tribunal has ruled in favour of folk who thought their return was safely received, but they had the printout with the long reference number.

just don't spend significantly more fighting it than the original £100?

agrinnall

DigForVictory wrote: »

Tribunal has ruled in favour of folk who thought their return was safely received, but they had the printout with the long reference number.

But surely the OP won't have the long reference because you only get that once the submission is complete.

ZZaffy

It was back in August and I thought I had submitted it. I can't remember much about doing it. When I rang HMRC, they gave me the explanation about having to log back in. They also said I was not alone. Maybe kind HMRC person was just being sympathetic to my stupidity. Conclusion: Whatever happened, I did it wrong. I was hoping to have a few hundred 'me too's' but it seems, I am the only one.

BooJewels

agrinnall wrote: »

But surely the OP won't have the long reference because you only get that once the submission is complete.

That was my first thought too - so I opened up the screen grab I took of my receipt and it says something along the lines of 'the long number will appear on the latest printed or stored copy of your return' [...] '(it changes every time you amend your return prior to submission').

So that sounds to me like you get a long number when your return is filled in/finished, but it can change if you amend the content - and it is also shown on your return before you submit it. Which is something I just learnt - I thought you only got one after submission.

ZZaffy

Correct, I did not have a long number reference or an email or anything. I just filled in the form. From the MSE's responses, it seems, I missed the crucial bit - sending it off!

BooJewels

ZZaffy wrote: »

I was hoping to have a few hundred 'me too's' but it seems, I am the only one.

Sorry. It depends on what you were expecting to see - I've done quite a few now, so am familiar enough with the process.

I'm pretty astonished that I've submitted mine every year for a long time and they seem to be accepted without incident. I had one letter about 15 years ago querying one number, I supplied the docs they asked for and that was the end of it. I may well be beggared if they change anything - I do it holding my breath as it is. And when I'm done and get the receipt I jump up and do a happy dance! And breathe out.

badmemory

You do have to put your password in again, is that what you mean, is that what you didn't do?

dunroving

badmemory wrote: »

You do have to put your password in again, is that what you mean, is that what you didn't do?

That's what I was thinking too. I was a first-time online filer this year. As you say, when you click to submit, it very clearly prompts you to have to sign back in to complete the process (I presume that's what the OP means y being "locked out").

Unless you were in a huge hurry and not really paying attention, I can't see how you would miss this.

Having said that, as a former teacher of young adults, I was always dismayed at the "click-click-click" mentality when using a computer. Read before you click!