{"id":1552,"date":"2016-01-28T11:31:03","date_gmt":"2016-01-28T11:31:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.pmabookkeeping.co.uk\/?p=1552"},"modified":"2016-01-28T11:31:03","modified_gmt":"2016-01-28T11:31:03","slug":"hmrc-reveals-top-10-worst-tax-return-excuses-for-2014","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.pmabookkeeping.co.uk\/index.php\/hmrc-reveals-top-10-worst-tax-return-excuses-for-2014\/","title":{"rendered":"HMRC reveals Top 10 worst tax return excuses for 2014"},"content":{"rendered":"<header class=\"block headings-block\">\n<div class=\"inner-block floated-children\">\n<div class=\"heading-extra\">\n<p>As the Self Assessment deadline approaches on 31 January, HMRC reveals some of the worst excuses submitted last year for late tax returns.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"block-3\">\n<div class=\"inner-block\">\n<aside class=\"lead-image-sidebar sidebar\">\n<figure class=\"image embedded\">\n<div class=\"img\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/assets.digital.cabinet-office.gov.uk\/government\/uploads\/system\/uploads\/image_data\/file\/48749\/s300_SA_Gardener_GOVUK_960x640_border.jpg\" alt=\"Finding Self Assessment Inner Peace\" \/><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"block-4\">\n<div class=\"inner-block\">\n<div class=\"document body\">\n<div class=\"govspeak\">\n<p>The ten worst excuses for missing the 31 January Self Assessment deadline for 2013 to 14 have today been revealed by HM Revenue and Customs (<abbr title=\"HM Revenue and Customs\">HMRC<\/abbr>).<\/p>\n<p>From broken kitchen appliances, hungry pets and arguments that last five years \u2013 some people will stop at nothing to pass the blame for their tardy timekeeping. Some of the excuses submitted included:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>My tax papers were left in the shed and the rat ate them<\/li>\n<li>I\u2019m not a paperwork orientated person \u2013 I always relied on my sister to complete my returns but we have now fallen out<\/li>\n<li>My accountant has been ill<\/li>\n<li>My dog ate my tax return<\/li>\n<li>I will be abroad on deadline day with no internet access so will be unable to file<\/li>\n<li>My laptop broke, so did my washing machine<\/li>\n<li>My niece had moved in \u2013 she made the house so untidy I could not find my log in details to complete my return online<\/li>\n<li>My husband ran over my laptop<\/li>\n<li>I had an argument with my wife and went to Italy for 5 years<\/li>\n<li>I had a cold which took a long time to go<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>The excuses were all used in unsuccessful appeals against <abbr title=\"HM Revenue and Customs\">HMRC<\/abbr> penalties for late returns.<\/p>\n<p>While <abbr title=\"HM Revenue and Customs\">HMRC<\/abbr> will not accept spurious excuses when the vast majority hit the deadline and pay up what they owe, we do recognise that a number taxpayers may have difficulties completing their tax return on time. For instance, those affected by flooding at their premises, or their agents\u2019 premises, will not be asked to pay a penalty if their return is submitted without unreasonable delay. The department has also opened a Tax Helpline to give practical help and advice to people affected by severe weather and flooding \u2013 0800 904 7900.<\/p>\n<p>Ruth Owen, <abbr title=\"HM Revenue and Customs\">HMRC<\/abbr> Director General of Personal Tax, said:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Untidy family members and hungry pets are very unlikely to be accepted as a legitimate excuse for completing your tax return late.<\/p>\n<p class=\"last-child\">We understand that life can be unpredictable and for those customers who have a genuine excuse for missing the 31 January deadline, such as the flooding, help is on hand. My advice would be to contact us through our helplines or online, as soon as possible. But for those who are trying to play the system, while the rest of us do the right thing, the message is clear: submit your tax return online by 31 January or face a fine. We\u2019re here to help people in genuine distress, but not to act as a free lender to people who can\u2019t meet their responsibilities to pay their tax.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>The deadline for sending 2014-15 tax returns to <abbr title=\"HM Revenue and Customs\">HMRC<\/abbr>, and paying any tax owed, is 31 January 2016.<\/p>\n<h4 id=\"notes-for-editors\">Notes for Editors<\/h4>\n<ol>\n<li>If you are submitting your 2014-15 Self Assessment return online for the first time, you will need to register for SA Online. Registering for online filing is simple \u2013 you can do it at online.hmrc.gov.uk\/registration.<\/li>\n<li>Last year <abbr title=\"HM Revenue and Customs\">HMRC<\/abbr> announced that it would be fairer on those with genuine excuses as we focus our penalties on larger, deliberate tax evaders rather than ordinary people. This remains the case, but the excuse must be genuine and evidence may need to be presented. The ten listed above were all declined on the basis they were either untrue or not good enough reasons.<\/li>\n<li>This year, <abbr title=\"HM Revenue and Customs\">HMRC<\/abbr> will be accepting reasonable excuses up front before the deadline to avoid penalties after the deadline.<\/li>\n<li>Help is available from the GOV.UK website at www.gov.uk\/self-assessment-tax-returns or from the Self Assessment helpline on 0300 200 3310.<\/li>\n<li>The deadline for Self Assessment returns is 31 January.<\/li>\n<li>There are also additional penalties for paying late of 5% of the tax unpaid at 30 days, 6 months and 12 months.<\/li>\n<li>Follow <abbr title=\"HM Revenue and Customs\">HMRC<\/abbr>\u2019s press office on Twitter @HMRCpressoffice.<\/li>\n<li><abbr title=\"HM Revenue and Customs\">HMRC<\/abbr>\u2019s Flickr channel: www.flickr.com\/hmrcgovuk.<\/li>\n<li>The penalties for late tax returns are:\n<ul>\n<li>an initial \u00a3100 fixed penalty, which applies even if there is no tax to pay, or if the tax due is paid on time;<\/li>\n<li>after 3 months, additional daily penalties of \u00a310 per day, up to a maximum of \u00a3900;<\/li>\n<li>after 6 months, a further penalty of 5% of the tax due or \u00a3300, whichever is greater; and<\/li>\n<li>after 12 months, another 5% or \u00a3300 charge, whichever is greater<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As the Self Assessment deadline approaches on 31 January, HMRC reveals some of the worst excuses submitted last year for late tax returns. The ten worst excuses for missing the 31 January Self Assessment deadline for 2013 to 14 have&hellip; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1552","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-latest-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.pmabookkeeping.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1552"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.pmabookkeeping.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.pmabookkeeping.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.pmabookkeeping.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.pmabookkeeping.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1552"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/www.pmabookkeeping.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1552\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1555,"href":"http:\/\/www.pmabookkeeping.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1552\/revisions\/1555"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.pmabookkeeping.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1552"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.pmabookkeeping.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1552"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.pmabookkeeping.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1552"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}