Tax Zone's Self Assessment issues poll - week one

We are experiencing problems with the length of bank account names this year (for refunds).

Last year there didn't appear to be a problem. However a normal account name of "Mr A Smith and Mrs B Jones" causes an error message as it is too long.

I have found the service on this to be so useless that I have reverted to using PAPER. Earlier in the year I sent several applications online. The system did not allow me to print any useful confirmation ( i.e with a client name on it - although I think that was later fixed) and then the requests were apparently never processed by HMRC. Like the previous commentator I had to re-instate the requests using faxes and phone calls, and alot of wasted time.

is not always reliable or quick. The latest one is that for a new client with tax arrears we are told that until the arrears are cleared we as agents will not be able to view any details online.

If anyone is missing any clients from their lists it seems that we have found at least 4 partners/businesses on our HMRC on line who are certainly not ours. We are also missing a couple.
How will their returns be filed?

Can complete SA Returns online okay, but can't then either save or print the pdf versions.

Installed Mozilla Firefox browser and if goto print colour pdf copy first, it works okay and then can be saved at once opened in the browser. For some reason it won't download the colour pdf version if you select save.

Hope that's helpful to anybody having the same issues.

Someone up there does not like us.
We logged on to self assessment online this morning to be told we were not enrolled for that service. We contacted online helpdesk and eventually got someone with some sense who informed us that our client code had been changed and we would need to speak to our Agent Maintainer. We eventually tracked down our Agent Maintainer and were informed that they had had instructions from another HMRC department telling them to amalgamate our clients with another business as we were at the same address. So someone out there has got all our clients!!!!!!!!
We have now arranged for our clients to be transferred back to us but we have had to be issued with a new agent code and can't use our old agent code. You know what I'm going to say next don't you???? Yes, we now have to re-enrol for self assessment services using the new agent code and this can take up to 7 working days. So ....... here we are 14th January, deadline for filing Tax Returns 14 days away and we cant access anything on HMRC...... Great!!!!!! All HMRC can do is appologise for the ........ up and have suggested we should make a formal complaint. You bet!!!! Ohhhh .... the other thing is the electricity board have just informed us that we have a major fault on the cable that supplies our electricity that they think will be fixed in about 2 weeks time so our electricity supply could go off without warning anytime within the next two week as we have been transferred to an emergency supply which is overloaded. The good news is that if it does go down it will only be off for about 3 hours. Wonderfull!!!!! Anyone got a shotgun?

Has anyone else noticed that the 'save your return' link doesn't work properly ?

Quite often the 'next' button leads to a screen saying 'online services unavailable', 'system busy' or 'ticketbook expired' (what is a 'ticketbook and why has mine expired ?). Frustrating especially when you're half way through entering a client's SA return details.

If this happens. don't press the 'home' button to start again, just press 'back' on the browser and 90% of the time you can get back to where you left off, and press 'next' again and just continue what you were doing.

Apart from this, the system's worked fine for me for the last 3 years and whilst certain practitioners might consider me a cheapskate for running a busy practice on HMRC free software, 1) thats what it's there for, 2) I reckon I've paid for it ten times over, and 3) if HMRC are giving something away for nothing, take it !

a few instances in the last week where claims to reduce POAs made online were not processed, even after 2-3 weeks. Helpdesk says there is not a problem, but acknowledgements were printed on submission and POAs had not been reduced, plus tax offices had no knowledge of the claims, which had to be requested again by phone.

at least this is an easy one. for me it was to do with the settings on explorer. contact online services, they will talk you through the change to be made in internet options and it works like magic!!

There are a number of reasons why statements might not show online, most of which are related to settings on Browsers. There is a page of recommended solutions. If none of these resolve the issue you are advised to ring the Online services helpdesk on 0845 60 55 999

Two things- why can't HMRC tell me when tax returns are received (not when they are processed- I just want to make sure they have them)-- not all returns can be filed on line!
Secondly despite being properly registered on -line WHY CAN'T I SEE MY CLIENTS STATEMENTS THAT HAVE BEEN ISSUED!!!! All I get is a blank screen which says 'done'!!! And I have the Acrobat Reader!
Can anyone advise me?

All sorted now thanks!
Very swift response thank you.

Despite supposedly having a PDF of last statement, when viewed all I get is a blank screen!!

Neither of my postings relate to online filing, rather the online information provided.

We have had several cases where it tells us that, say, £20,000 is due for payment by 31 January 2009, but when you go into the figures that £20,000 includes both of the 2008/09 payments on account.

Several times I have gone to submit claims to reduce payments on account, or change address, get all the way through the screens to the last message, and it comes up with 'System error' so there is no way of knowing whether the claims/changes have taken.

we only get one acceptance when filing more than 1 return simultaneously

This old chestnut is still prevalent. Web pages are sometimes a few days old so not as bad as before. They seem to be updated automatically but irritatingly with a delay. Only some clients affected.

Not worlking online last week despite entering and receiving acknowledgement. Had to phone tax office to action request. Used agent priority phone line, HMRC were helpful and did the job. Saw results online after 2 days and received paper letter from HMRC confirming reduction today. However, this has taken more time to achieve than should have been necessary.

A preposterous number of error messages requiring us to down tools and dig out the exceptions/workarounds list.