i owe hmrc for late tax return fines, help plz

[flicky14]

hi its abit of a long story but my husband and I ran a pub together we were partners on the tax return and I was the named partner. we had an accountant who did our tax returns at first but things got bad and my husband and I split up left the pub and basically stopped paying the accountant. since then I have been chased for tax returns which yes I have ignored but eventually swallowed my pride and tried to do it online I couldn't for some reason I cant log in.... I have written to tax office asking for the paper forms so I can fill it in that way but got nothing. I have received a letter asking for 2700 in fines. please help I don't know what to do. I,m a single mum with 3 children on housing benefit and council tax benefit I work part time. I,m not disagreeing I owe the money but cannot afford to pay all at once....... what should I do

[wales01man]

Re: i owe hmrc for late tax return fines, help plz

Is this just Fines or does it include unpaid tax that you know you owe if you have no Accountant you may need the help of one before the taxman takes further action.

[flicky14]

Re: i owe hmrc for late tax return fines, help plz

that's just the fines, I didn't didn't earn enough to pay tax.

[wales01man]

Re: i owe hmrc for late tax return fines, help plz

Best to try and talk to them and reach an agrrement they may cancel some or all of it don't ignore them

[flicky14]

Re: i owe hmrc for late tax return fines, help plz

no I wont ignore them ive buried my head in the sand long enough. I,m no good on the phone ill just get upset and cry and look like a total idiot, can I write to them and explain everything and give them an offer of paying monthly I know it will take me a while to pay it off but at least I know its an amount I can afford without getting in debt again, was thinking about 200 a month. what do u think ?

[flicky14]

Re: i owe hmrc for late tax return fines, help plz

do u think they will still send me the forms to do the tax return as I still haven't done this. its for year ending 2011 and 2012 I think

[wales01man]

Re: i owe hmrc for late tax return fines, help plz

PLEASE start by talking to them if you get nowhere put it in writing someone on here will help with a letter don't get all worked up over it many of us myself included have been let off these fines they need to know your circumstances before they can agree anything its better to talk to HMRC than a Debt collector

[flicky14]

Re: i owe hmrc for late tax return fines, help plz

ok wales01man thank you for your advice, but what do I say to them, where do I start??? soooo scared there gonna want more then I can afford and I haven't got anyone to ask for the money..... soooooo scared

[MissFM]

Re: i owe hmrc for late tax return fines, help plz

Wales is absolutely right - the only place to start is from where you stand. Write a letter outlining what you have told us above - if you like post it up and you will get lots of help to edit it if necessary.

You need to start a dialogue with them, the most important part of which is that you want to pay but don't have enough money to do so in one go and make an offer of what you can realistically afford in installments to clear the debt.

More knowledgeable Beagles will be able to give more detailed advice but meanwhile try to calm down (easily said, I know!) and let's get started on a letter :grouphug:

[flicky14]

Re: i owe hmrc for late tax return fines, help plz

I have already written to them before saying what I told u above explaining why the tax returns hadent been done. they sent me a letter back basically saying that thatwasnt a good enough excuse and that I still had to do the returns plus pay the fine. as of yet I haven't done either. so do I send the letter again ???? they did say as of now they wouldn't as me to do any further on line returns for future years. hope that makes sense

[MissFM]

Re: i owe hmrc for late tax return fines, help plz

I have already written to them before saying what I told u above explaining why the tax returns hadent been done. they sent me a letter back basically saying that thatwasnt a good enough excuse and that I still had to do the returns plus pay the fine. as of yet I haven't done either. so do I send the letter again ???? they did say as of now they wouldn't as me to do any further on line returns for future years. hope that makes sense

Any chance of seeing the letters (with all personal details blanked out)?

[flicky14]

Re: i owe hmrc for late tax return fines, help plz

the letters from them,?? I didn't keep a copy of letters I sent to them stupid I know .... how do I show u the letters?

[FlamingParrot]

Re: i owe hmrc for late tax return fines, help plz

hi its abit of a long story but my husband and I ran a pub together we were partners on the tax return and I was the named partner. we had an accountant who did our tax returns at first but things got bad and my husband and I split up left the pub and basically stopped paying the accountant. since then I have been chased for tax returns which yes I have ignored but eventually swallowed my pride and tried to do it online I couldn't for some reason I cant log in.... I have written to tax office asking for the paper forms so I can fill it in that way but got nothing.

For business tax returns, HMRC decided they all had to be done online. Can't remember exactly what year it was, probably 2010 or 2011, I don't think you can submit paper tax returns for a business anymore. You need both a user ID and a P/W, you need to register on the HMRC website, they will then send you the login details in the post.

I have received a letter asking for 2700 in fines. please help I don't know what to do. I,m a single mum with 3 children on housing benefit and council tax benefit I work part time. I,m not disagreeing I owe the money but cannot afford to pay all at once....... what should I do

First of all, you need to make sure you actually owe that amount. Write to HMRC requesting a breakdown.

Taxaid may be able to help if you are on a low income:

We offer free, independent and confidential advice to UK taxpayers on a low income who haven’t been able to sort their tax out with HMRC. As a guideline, low income for an individual is defined as £20,000 pa or below.

All our advice is given by qualified tax professionals. For advice call our Helpline 0345 120 3779 on weekdays between 10am and 12 midday.

It would help you if you have full details of your income and expenditure, a good online budgeting tool can be found here: NEDCAB budgeting tool.

Taxaid cannot help you with obtaining information from HMRC, which is why you should get a breakdown from them first.

It is important to deal with this promptly, otherwise HMRC could take further action such as issuing a statutory demand as a prelude to a bankruptcy petition. :scared:

[flicky14]

Re: i owe hmrc for late tax return fines, help plz

hi will I have that on all the letters they sent me or should I just write and ask them again, just don't know where to start, I tried to register for the website but it wont let me log in

[FlamingParrot]

Re: i owe hmrc for late tax return fines, help plz

hi will I have that on all the letters they sent me or should I just write and ask them again, just don't know where to start, I tried to register for the website but it wont let me log in

No, the code wouldn't be on the letters they've sent you. It will only be sent to you after you register:

Activation Code

The Activation Code is a 12 character security code which you use to activate an online service. This is sent to you by post when you complete the online service registration process.

You'll need to start by creating a government gateway account here: https://online.hmrc.gov.uk/registration/newbusiness

Government Gateway account

The Government Gateway is a centralised registration service in the UK. By registering with the Gateway you will be able to sign up for many of the Government's internet services.
The Gateway has over 100 enabled services from over 50 government offices. If you have used online services such as Self Assessment, checking your pension entitlement or applying for a provisional driving licence, it's likely that you are using the Gateway. Sometimes you may not even know you are using it - departments often use their own branding.
You might have received a Government Gateway card with a User ID or been given the ID on-screen when you registered to use online services.

User IDs are made up of 12 randomly generated numbers, for example, 1234 5678 9123.