Tax return not recorded by HMRC
Expatmichali
Posts: 54 Forumite
in Cutting tax
I hope someone can advise please.
We have been submitting our tax returns, always posted in June, for years using the paper version with no problems. However, this year, HMRC have apparently no record of my husband's tax return even though mine and his were posted at the same time and date in June and mine is recorded as having been received. We fortunately have proof of Special Delivery and the signature of the person at HMRC who signed for it. A trace was put on his tax return but when he called today, no further information was available. He was warned that if there is no record of the tax return submission before the deadline next week, there will be an automatic penalty of £100. We have therefore sent a copy of the return today, again by Special Delivery (receipts of same in hand) in the hope that its arrival will be recorded on this occasion.
My first question is, surely, any tax return that is posted before the deadline, must be recorded by officials at HMRC as being received before the deadline? Surely they cannot justify that, even though it was posted and signed for before the deadline but recorded in their office after the deadline, a penalty would be imposed?
My second question is, we have been using the paper form rather than the online submission as we were abroad for many years and use supplementary pages and I was of the opinion that you could only complete SA100 online and other pages had to be submitted separately. Have I got that totally wrong please? Could we complete the return totally online with foreign income and income from property included in that online submission? If this is the case, we will definitely switch to online next year.
This is causing much distress to us as we have been diligent over the years about submitting our tax returns in a timely fashion. Fortunately, as per our calculations, we owe no tax on this occasion.
Any advice would be much appreciated.
We have been submitting our tax returns, always posted in June, for years using the paper version with no problems. However, this year, HMRC have apparently no record of my husband's tax return even though mine and his were posted at the same time and date in June and mine is recorded as having been received. We fortunately have proof of Special Delivery and the signature of the person at HMRC who signed for it. A trace was put on his tax return but when he called today, no further information was available. He was warned that if there is no record of the tax return submission before the deadline next week, there will be an automatic penalty of £100. We have therefore sent a copy of the return today, again by Special Delivery (receipts of same in hand) in the hope that its arrival will be recorded on this occasion.
My first question is, surely, any tax return that is posted before the deadline, must be recorded by officials at HMRC as being received before the deadline? Surely they cannot justify that, even though it was posted and signed for before the deadline but recorded in their office after the deadline, a penalty would be imposed?
My second question is, we have been using the paper form rather than the online submission as we were abroad for many years and use supplementary pages and I was of the opinion that you could only complete SA100 online and other pages had to be submitted separately. Have I got that totally wrong please? Could we complete the return totally online with foreign income and income from property included in that online submission? If this is the case, we will definitely switch to online next year.
This is causing much distress to us as we have been diligent over the years about submitting our tax returns in a timely fashion. Fortunately, as per our calculations, we owe no tax on this occasion.
Any advice would be much appreciated.
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Comments
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yes you have, step 3 of completing the return is to "tailor your return" where you select the pages you want and obviously the whole return is done as one collection of all pages you selectExpatmichali wrote: »I was of the opinion that you could only complete SA100 online and other pages had to be submitted separately. Have I got that totally wrong please? .0 -
Ah! Thank you. That should take care of next years return as long as I set it up for my husband.0
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You can still submit it online for 2018 up to 31 Jan 2019. I would do that right now to prevent a penalty, any old drivel will do all you want is to stop the fine. Then you have until 31 Jan 2020 to re-submit the correct figures.Hideous Muddles from Right Charlies0
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Expatmichali wrote: »My second question is, we have been using the paper form rather than the online submission as we were abroad for many years and use supplementary pages and I was of the opinion that you could only complete SA100 online and other pages had to be submitted separately. Have I got that totally wrong please? .
You have it wrong but ... understandably in your case. The non-residence part of the return cannot be completed online and must be submitted by the paper method or by using special software. This has always been the case for this section and, similarly, for partnership returns and, obscurely, for Ministers of Religion.0 -
If you did receive a penalty for submitting the paper return after the due date then you always have the option of appealing the penalty, using the bulk signed for signature.
Did you send the returns separately or in the same envelope?
If in the same envelope it might be worth asking HMRC to review the scan of your return to see if the scanner has scanned both returns under a single reference?
If it has then it's a simple case to rectify.
The date of receipt of any post is the date item is physically received, not when it's processed or scanned., Therefore if you have sent a copy it should be delivered well before the paper filing date.
When sending the copy of the return did your husband re-sign and date the declaration on the tax return?
The signature has to be a 'Wet Signature's, i.e not a photocopy.
If you have sent a copy without a new signature it will likely be rejected and returned to him.
He will be given 14 days to correct and return the form, if he does that it will be deemed as received on the original date of receipt. I.e. if received on 25 October, and rejected/returned 1 November, he will be given til 15 November to return the signed form. If this is done it will be deemed received 25 October.
Alternatively, as has been said, submit online.[SIZE=-1]To equate judgement and wisdom with occupation is at best . . . insulting.
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Many thanks for all the comments and advice. Dori2o, my husband realized that he probably should have sent an original, so this morning we redid the whole return, signed and sent off by Special Delivery with a covering letter of course, explaining why we were sending yet another one! So we will see what happens but it should be received in good time before the deadline. The original returns were sent in two separate envelopes and signed for in June at the same time and by the same person. How one went astray we have no idea!
Thanks again! Everyone has been so helpful.0 -
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Thanks for the link!0
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You keep suggesting this, when any competent accountant would know that filing a return you know is not correct opens the taxpayer up to the possibility of penalties in excess of 35%.You can still submit it online for 2018 up to 31 Jan 2019. I would do that right now to prevent a penalty, any old drivel will do all you want is to stop the fine. Then you have until 31 Jan 2020 to re-submit the correct figures.
I'm beginning to think you're not very clever.0 -
If you did receive a penalty for submitting the paper return after the due date then you always have the option of appealing the penalty, using the bulk signed for signature.
How generous of HMRC (who lost the return received and signed for) to offer the option - really, the arrogance beggars belief.:mad:0
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