Online Tax Return completion...
Discussion
Ah.
Sorted.
For future reference, IT'S A DIFFERENT WEBSITE!
Check it's all registered / activated using www.gateway.gov.uk
Then do everything else (filing &c) using www.inlandrevenue.gov.uk
And this is the problem with this stuff; fine if you do it every day of the week, but once a year it's hopeless trying to remember everything
Sorted.
For future reference, IT'S A DIFFERENT WEBSITE!
Check it's all registered / activated using www.gateway.gov.uk
Then do everything else (filing &c) using www.inlandrevenue.gov.uk
And this is the problem with this stuff; fine if you do it every day of the week, but once a year it's hopeless trying to remember everything
Sounds like you are on the Government Gateway, which frankly is a waste of space.
You need to be [url]here|https://online.inlandrevenue.gov.uk/application?namespace=re&origin=error.jsp&event=link.home[/url]
Once you log in (my id is in the form AAAANNNN, and not the same as the one you connect to the Gateway with) you'll get this page:
Take the self assessment page link from there and you get this:
Hope this helps.
Edited to add - ah, you worked it out for yourself! I'll leave this here in case it helps anyone else anyway.
>> Edited by victormeldrew on Friday 20th January 18:33
You need to be [url]here|https://online.inlandrevenue.gov.uk/application?namespace=re&origin=error.jsp&event=link.home[/url]
Once you log in (my id is in the form AAAANNNN, and not the same as the one you connect to the Gateway with) you'll get this page:
Take the self assessment page link from there and you get this:
Hope this helps.
Edited to add - ah, you worked it out for yourself! I'll leave this here in case it helps anyone else anyway.
>> Edited by victormeldrew on Friday 20th January 18:33
What a fantastic response, with piccys and everything! 
Under the Self Assessment tax regulations, it is legally required that a taxpayer furnish to the Inland Revenue additional information that the taxpayer thinks the Inland Revenue will need to see in order to fully understand and accept the figures as submitted on the tax return itself. In other words, submitting the information in the format set out on the return may not be sufficient to supply the tax authorities with the information they need. That is why they have supplied large blank spaces on the Self Assessment forms (called the "Additional Information" boxes).
Even these may not be sufficient.
Under the guidelines issued by the accounting and tax institutes, no professional accountants submit raw tax returns. They normally attach or enclose copious additional summaries and schedules and sets of accounts (if necessary). Some accountants do make use of the on-line filing facilities but they should also be supporting the data on the returns with additional notes either submitted to the Revenue electronically or by normal post.
For agents like me, the additional factor is the authorisation of the submitted data by the tax payer. When agents submit returns electronically, the Revenue never see a signed copy of the return. Therefore, they are never sure that the return has actually been authorised by the tax payer. In many ways, they don't care - but from a legal reason and a professional indemnity point of view I care very much.
With paper returns, the Revenue will reject any forms that have NOT been signed by the taxpayer - even if the form has been submitted by an agent.
In other words, they have more stringent acceptance rules for paper returns comp[ared to electronic ones.
I still submit all my clients' returns by ordinary mail for that reason.
>> Edited by Eric Mc on Friday 20th January 22:52
Even these may not be sufficient.
Under the guidelines issued by the accounting and tax institutes, no professional accountants submit raw tax returns. They normally attach or enclose copious additional summaries and schedules and sets of accounts (if necessary). Some accountants do make use of the on-line filing facilities but they should also be supporting the data on the returns with additional notes either submitted to the Revenue electronically or by normal post.
For agents like me, the additional factor is the authorisation of the submitted data by the tax payer. When agents submit returns electronically, the Revenue never see a signed copy of the return. Therefore, they are never sure that the return has actually been authorised by the tax payer. In many ways, they don't care - but from a legal reason and a professional indemnity point of view I care very much.
With paper returns, the Revenue will reject any forms that have NOT been signed by the taxpayer - even if the form has been submitted by an agent.
In other words, they have more stringent acceptance rules for paper returns comp[ared to electronic ones.
I still submit all my clients' returns by ordinary mail for that reason.
>> Edited by Eric Mc on Friday 20th January 22:52
At the end of the tax year the Tax Office sent an inspector to carry out an audit of the books of a synagogue. While he was checking the books he turned to the Rabbi and said, "I notice you buy a lot of candles. What do you do with the candle drippings?"
"Good question," noted the Rabbi. "We save them up and send them back to the candle makers, and every now and then they send us free box of candles."
"Oh," replied the auditor, somewhat disappointed that his unusual question had a practical answer. But on he went, in his obnoxious way:
"What about all these matzo (flat bread eaten at Passover) purchases, What do you do with the crumbs?"
"Ah, yes," replied the Rabbi, realising that the inspector was trying to trap him with an unanswerable question. "We collect them and send them back to the manufacturers, and every now and then they send a free box of matzo balls."
"I see," replied the auditor, thinking hard about how he could Fluster the know-it-all Rabbi. "Well, Rabbi," he went on," what do you do with all the leftover foreskins from the circumcisions you perform?"
"Here, too, we do not waste," answered the Rabbi:
"What we do is save up all the foreskins and send them to the Tax Office, and about once a year they send us a complete dick."
"Good question," noted the Rabbi. "We save them up and send them back to the candle makers, and every now and then they send us free box of candles."
"Oh," replied the auditor, somewhat disappointed that his unusual question had a practical answer. But on he went, in his obnoxious way:
"What about all these matzo (flat bread eaten at Passover) purchases, What do you do with the crumbs?"
"Ah, yes," replied the Rabbi, realising that the inspector was trying to trap him with an unanswerable question. "We collect them and send them back to the manufacturers, and every now and then they send a free box of matzo balls."
"I see," replied the auditor, thinking hard about how he could Fluster the know-it-all Rabbi. "Well, Rabbi," he went on," what do you do with all the leftover foreskins from the circumcisions you perform?"
"Here, too, we do not waste," answered the Rabbi:
"What we do is save up all the foreskins and send them to the Tax Office, and about once a year they send us a complete dick."
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