Fines amnesty for late tax returns
Up to 890,000 people who filed late tax returns have been given an amnesty over the £100 fine for missing the deadline.
The tax officers are no longer checking why someone was unable to submit their self-assessment forms on time, as long they provide a „reasonable“ excuse.
People who filed late would still face interest on overdue payments and „receive a warning for the future“. No reprieve would be offered to people yet to file their return or who still owed tax.
What counts as a reasonable excuse ( from gov.uk )
A reasonable excuse is normally something unexpected or outside your control that stopped you meeting a tax obligation, eg:
- your partner died shortly before the tax return or payment deadline
- you had an unexpected stay in hospital that prevented you from dealing with your tax affairs
- your computer or software failed just before or while you were preparing your online return
- service issues with HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) online services
- a fire prevented you from completing your tax return
- postal delays that you couldn’t have predicted
You must try to send your return or payment as soon as possible after your reasonable excuse is resolved.
What’s unlikely to be a reasonable excuse
The following aren’t usually accepted as a reasonable excuse:
- you relied on someone else to send your return and they didn’t
- your cheque bounced or payment failed because you didn’t have enough money
- you found the HMRC online system too difficult to use
- you didn’t get a reminder from HMRC