Late payment charges for self assessment help

tsekul

My Daughter has been working offshore on a boat for the last couple of years.

we keep informing Hmrc that she is not able to do her self assessment as she has no access to the internet, and that she no longer lives at this address.

we have sent mail via special delivery, I have been on the web chat for hours, but they seem incapable of grasping the situation. 

She has now racked up fines of £1200 pounds. We asked them in February to put her file on hold until she is back in the Uk. Their answer was that she can appeal when she returns !! Then all they have to do is turn down the appeal, while all the time she is away the fine is going up.

Whats even more irritating is the original figure of £700 pounds was due to them over paying her tax credits when she was stuck in the U.K. during covid. She informed them she had a job and they continued with 2 more payments after this. 

Had another letter today and tried to phone, I was on hold for an hour and a quarter and they cut me off. 

Anyone had experience with the appeals process ? Is it as useless as the rest of the system

Any ideas on how to resolve this ?

Ayr_Rage

Just about every ship and offshore platform has internet access these days.

She needs to make an effort to get it done herself.

tsekul

Not on the tall ship she’s on there isn’t. (There’s always one 🙄).
Certainly not reliable enough to spent hours waiting to get through. Up until this month there wasn’t even a phone service available.

tsekul

Oh and no email address that I can find ?

Ayr_Rage

From an outsider's point of view it is you and your daughter that are not grasping the situation.

HMRC are doing everything by the book and working away from home is no mitigation in your daughter not fulfilling her obligations to pay what she owes in a timely manner.

You probably think that is harsh, but it's the truth.

Wonka_2

tsekul said:

Not on the tall ship she’s on there isn’t. (There’s always one 🙄).
Certainly not reliable enough to spent hours waiting to get through. Up until this month there wasn’t even a phone service available.

You're suggesting that at no point in the last 2 years has she been in dock/on shore and able to deal with this ?

Given this isn't going to go away and being away isn't an excuse for not dealing with it she needs to deal with it - it's all laid out here Appoint someone to deal with HMRC on your behalf - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) but she needs to do it, not you (unless of course you want to impersonate her to try and do it - and face the consequences if it goes wrong)  

tsekul

Only got the self assessment statement in January Highlighting the error. She wrote to them requesting me to deal with her affairs in April from somewhere in the Adriatic, but it hasn’t arrived ,I assume as I can’t get through to the HMRC. No doubt I’ll be on hold for another hour or so tomorrow.


She can deal with it on her return in the mean time it’s another £300 every three months.

So:-

Anyone had experience with the appeals process ? Is it as useless as the rest of the system

Any ideas on how to resolve this ?

Dazed_and_C0nfused

I think most people would struggle to help as you haven't really explained clearly what the issue is.

Your thread title refers to late payment charges.  Late payment charges virtually always only apply after a return has been filed and there is some tax due.

But then you refer to her not completing a Self Assessment return.

Has a return been filed?

Irrespective of that why was a return necessary, that could well be key.

sheramber

Whats even more irritating is the original figure of £700 pounds was due to them over paying her tax credits when she was stuck in the U.K. during covid. She informed them she had a job and they continued with 2 more payments after this. 

Tax credits don't come under income tax or self assessment.

What does she need to do a self assessment tax return or?

tsekul

 She could not complete her self assessment as she was offshore. She has been accruing penalties ever since.

In the last few days we have received a statement that she over paid on 19/20 and 20/21 to the tune of £1100 . HMRC have deducted the fines from this leaving her with about £200 to pay.

You can’t make it up ! They discover she has been over paying for a number of years and use the fines for late payment to cover the overpayment ( after being informed she has not been in the country).

tsekul

Dazed_and_C0nfused said:

I think most people would struggle to help as you haven't really explained clearly what the issue is.

Your thread title refers to late payment charges.  Late payment charges virtually always only apply after a return has been filed and there is some tax due.

But then you refer to her not completing a Self Assessment return.

Has a return been filed?

Irrespective of that why was a return necessary, that could well be key.

The letters title is  “self assessment-penalties for late filing and late payment “

Doesn’t everyone have to do a self assessment ?