Self-assessors who file their tax returns close to the January 31 deadline have been warned to be alert to errors in Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs’ (HMRC) IT system.
The Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) said that although the £100 fine should only apply to people who file late, IT problems may mean people who file before the deadline are also penalised.
It added that close to the deadline, errors often creep into the system, especially when it comes to correctly recording the receipt of the tax return, and advised self-assessors to be aware and appeal against any errors.
Chas Roy-Chowdhury, head of tax at ACCA, said although there have been occassions where taxpayers have fallen foul of the deadline due to IT systems at HMRC, they should be given the benefit of the doubt.
“The most important thing for tax self-assessors – whether online or paper based – is to communicate with HMRC if they think there are problems,” he said.
“Call HMRC’s helpline – get a name, date and time when the call was made. And most importantly, make sure all tax-related paperwork and e-mails are filed safely.
“Good record-keeping is essential, should anything go wrong and if an appeal is needed,” he added.
© Crimson Business Ltd. 2008
