Penalty deadline just two weeks away
HMRC allowed a generous relaxation of the rules surrounding penalties for late payment of tax for 2020/21. However, the deadline to act is fast approaching. What do you need to do if you owe tax for that year?
Usually, if you pay your balancing payment under self-assessment after 31 January, you'll be charged interest on the outstanding amount from 1 February. Furthermore, if anything remains unpaid 30 days later, a charge of 5% of the amount due is added to the bill. However, for 2020/21 there was a relaxation of this. The deadline to avoid a penalty for 2020/21 was moved to 31 March. But what you may not know is that a penalty can still be avoided if you can’t pay in full by this date. All you need to do is contact HMRC and agree a time to pay arrangement before the end of the month. No penalty will then be charged, as long as the arrangement is adhered to. Note that interest will still be charged from 1 February. Additionally, the penalty interest rate increased on 21 February 2022, from 2.75% to 3%.
You can make the arrangement via your personal tax account online, or by contacting HMRC on 0300 200 3822.
Related Topics
-
Selling spare items to your company
You’re short of cash but if you use the traditional methods to take more money out of your company you’ll pay higher rate taxes. Is there another way to extract profits without paying income tax or NI?
-
No such thing as a (tax) free lunch?
You run a small consultancy company and treat your staff to lunch in the office once a week. Your bookkeeper says it’s a taxable benefit in kind because staff lunches are only exempt if they are provided in a workplace canteen. Is this correct?
-
Judge criticises use of fabricated AI-generated cases in HMRC appeal
A tax tribunal judge has criticised the use of apparently fabricated case references generated by artificial intelligence in an appeal against HMRC. The incident highlights growing concerns over the use of AI tools in legal and tax proceedings. What happened?