A recent press release by HMRC revealed some of the oddest excuses for submitting a late tax return. The excuses ranged from the sublime to the ridiculous and included:
- My mother-in-law is a witch and put a curse on me.
- I’m too short to reach the post box.
- I was just too busy – my first maid left, my second maid stole from me, and my third maid was very slow to learn.
- Our junior member of staff registered our client in self assessment by mistake because they were not wearing their glasses.
- My boiler had broken and my fingers were too cold to type.
HMRC also revealed that some taxpayers have tried to make expense claims for such random items as a family holiday to Nigeria, a carpenter claiming for a new TV and £756 for pet dog insurance.
When are the 2017-18 self-assessment due to be filed and any tax paid?
The deadline for submitting your 2017-18 self assessment tax return is 31 January 2019. This is also the date that certain payments of tax are due. This includes the payment of any balance of self assessment liability for the 2017-18, plus any payment on account due for the current 2018-19 tax year.
What if I have a reasonable excuse for late filing?
Whilst HMRC will consider reasonable excuses these are limited to exceptional circumstances. If you need support with late filing appeals please contact us to see how we can help.
