Questions and Answers
How do I amend my tax return?
I have received a letter from HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) stating that I may not have told them something and owe tax. I am not sure what to do, please could you help?
By Catherine Heinen, FCCAHMRC can piece together information on individuals and businesses from submission via various platforms. This gives HMRC a wider view of someone’s position and therefore they may write to you to highlight a possible mistake or omission in your past tax return submissions.
If you have received a letter from HMRC regarding a submission, firstly I would suggest that you check that the letter is genuine. You can check this by looking at HMRC guidance. There are frequent tax scams and it is important you are vigilant.
The letter from HMRC should detail the action you need to take to appeal HMRC’s action or amend your submission. If you are using an accountant, your first step should be to contact them to see if they can resolve the issue on your behalf.
It is unlikely that HMRC will want you to resubmit an amended return, unless this is what they have requested in their letter. A telephone call to HMRC will help you to take the action needed and pay any unpaid tax. Please do ensure that you call HMRC’s main number rather than following any telephone numbers in the letter just in case this is a fraudulent letter.
If you do need to change your tax return and it is within 12 months of the self-assessment deadline (for the 2022/23 tax year the deadline was 31st January 2024 so you have until 31st January 2025) then you can change your return online.
If you need to change your tax return and this deadline has passed, you must write to HMRC to set out the amendments and the effect on your tax position.
Date published 1 Feb 2017 | Last updated 25 Mar 2024
This article is intended to inform rather than advise and is based on legislation and practice at the time. Taxpayer’s circumstances do vary and if you feel that the information provided is beneficial it is important that you contact us before implementation. If you take, or do not take action as a result of reading this article, before receiving our written endorsement, we will accept no responsibility for any financial loss incurred.
Catherine Heinen, FCCA
Catherine is a Technical Content Writer at TaxAssist Accountants, and a qualified accountant. With experience working at two accountancy practices in the UK top 50 accountancy firms according to Accountancy Age, Catherine has significant experience in accounts, tax returns and advising clients. Catherine ensures businesses, business owners and individuals are kept up to date and informed by providing concise and informative technical material.
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