If you are currently panicking that you have left it too late to register online or come to do your tax return to find you have lost your log in details, don’t despair. HMRC has confirmed that some taxpayers can avoid a late filing penalty provided they submit their 2012/13 Tax Returns via the HMRC software by 15 February 2014.
The extended deadline applies to taxpayers who, between midnight on 21 January and midnight on 31 January 2014:
- enrolled for the Self Assessment online service, or
- requested a replacement user ID or password.
The deadline extension only applies to those who were already registered for Self Assessment and have a unique taxpayer reference (UTR). Therefore, this does not help those who are late in notifying their liability to charge.
Since the extension only applies where the free HMRC software is used to file the 2012/13 Tax Return, partnerships and trustees cannot benefit as they cannot currently file online via HMRC software.
The software used by HMRC to automatically generate late-filing penalty notices is unlikely to be able to tell who an extended deadline applies to so if you think the extended deadline applies but still receive a late-filing penalty notice you should appeal the notice within 30 days.
Any tax liability is still due by 31 January 2014 and payments after this date will attract interest charges at a rate of 3% per annum. Late payment penalties are generated on 1 March 2014
If you are concerned about your tax return do call us as we can help advise you on your best course of action.
