Good luck with that. Last one I did took nearly two years to be agreed, by which time client (who works in the film industry and ricochets between employed/self employed contracts) had been on PAYE for a year.
Perhaps HMRC should apply some of this energy to processing VAT registration applications. All poised and ready to fill in first VAT return for a client but still waiting for registration certificate for an application submitted on 10th June.
What a farce. Have been trying on and off since 7.30am. First it was 'service is unavailable', now 'localhost refused to connect'. No problems with other websites.
I agree with your comment about Personal Tax Accounts. As for doing things 'easily' through them; I have clients who still struggle to actually log into the PTA, never mind do anything when they get there.
I've never trusted them since as Peat Marwick Mitchell they interviewed me for a graduate trainee job in 1977. I was told at said interview that the starting salary was £2000 and then that the ICAEW (or whatever they were called then) Student Society had calculated that the minimum salary a student could subsist on was £2100. While I was trying to recover from that statement I was thanked for attending the interview and told that all job offers had already been made. I had travelled from Durham to Cardiff (necessitating an overnight stay so I could get to the morning interview in time) at my own expense - no reimbursement offered. That was when I realised that trainees were just fodder.
@fawltybasil2575, @Rebecca. I think you are both right and dear Rishi is pulling a fast one. He intends the 5th SEISS grant to cover May to September but is only paying out 3 months worth or avge earnings not 5. Made the whole thing so confusing, with different rates depending on how much earnings have dropped by and delaying application dates, that he probably hoped no one would notice.
I had to phone HMRC with a query yesterday (yes actually managed to get through to a person) and was told that the first ordinary officers knew about the waiving of late filing penalties was when they saw it in the media. They went on to have real rant about the way things are run, made a change not to be the one with the grievance . Guess it is not only accountants that the high heid yins at HMRC have no respect for.
Agreed. I have a client who came to me to deal with CL settlement. A couple of years out of college and working as a graphic designer they entered a new contract which they thought was a freelance contract. They were actually paid under a CL scheme. Client did not understand what this was and in fact declared the income as self-employed earnings. Thanks goodness the job only lasted 6 months and the pay was low. After submitting relevant information to HMRC in September still waiting for matter to be concluded. Apparently still have many letters of offer to be sent out.
In my clients case, was only a couple of years out of college and had no clue what was going on. Actually included the 'loan payments' as self-employed earnings on tax return. But total was wrong so in interests of doing the right thing is trying to pay the tax due on the balance.
Have you got phone number for the settlements helpline?
Need to chase up for client who made offer to pay months ago but given no details as how actually to do so.
My answers
Good luck with that. Last one I did took nearly two years to be agreed, by which time client (who works in the film industry and ricochets between employed/self employed contracts) had been on PAYE for a year.
Perhaps HMRC should apply some of this energy to processing VAT registration applications. All poised and ready to fill in first VAT return for a client but still waiting for registration certificate for an application submitted on 10th June.
What a farce. Have been trying on and off since 7.30am. First it was 'service is unavailable', now 'localhost refused to connect'. No problems with other websites.
I agree with your comment about Personal Tax Accounts. As for doing things 'easily' through them; I have clients who still struggle to actually log into the PTA, never mind do anything when they get there.
I've never trusted them since as Peat Marwick Mitchell they interviewed me for a graduate trainee job in 1977. I was told at said interview that the starting salary was £2000 and then that the ICAEW (or whatever they were called then) Student Society had calculated that the minimum salary a student could subsist on was £2100. While I was trying to recover from that statement I was thanked for attending the interview and told that all job offers had already been made. I had travelled from Durham to Cardiff (necessitating an overnight stay so I could get to the morning interview in time) at my own expense - no reimbursement offered. That was when I realised that trainees were just fodder.
@fawltybasil2575, @Rebecca. I think you are both right and dear Rishi is pulling a fast one. He intends the 5th SEISS grant to cover May to September but is only paying out 3 months worth or avge earnings not 5. Made the whole thing so confusing, with different rates depending on how much earnings have dropped by and delaying application dates, that he probably hoped no one would notice.
I had to phone HMRC with a query yesterday (yes actually managed to get through to a person) and was told that the first ordinary officers knew about the waiving of late filing penalties was when they saw it in the media. They went on to have real rant about the way things are run, made a change not to be the one with the grievance . Guess it is not only accountants that the high heid yins at HMRC have no respect for.
Agreed. I have a client who came to me to deal with CL settlement. A couple of years out of college and working as a graphic designer they entered a new contract which they thought was a freelance contract. They were actually paid under a CL scheme. Client did not understand what this was and in fact declared the income as self-employed earnings. Thanks goodness the job only lasted 6 months and the pay was low. After submitting relevant information to HMRC in September still waiting for matter to be concluded. Apparently still have many letters of offer to be sent out.
In my clients case, was only a couple of years out of college and had no clue what was going on. Actually included the 'loan payments' as self-employed earnings on tax return. But total was wrong so in interests of doing the right thing is trying to pay the tax due on the balance.
Have you got phone number for the settlements helpline?
Need to chase up for client who made offer to pay months ago but given no details as how actually to do so.