Registering for Self-Assessment

Registering for Self-Assessment

Do you need to complete a self-assessment tax return?

There are usually two situations where a tax return is required:
      a) HMRC ask you to submit one
      b) You have a tax liability due to untaxed income (such as rental income, interest or dividends above the tax-free thresholds)

You may also want to complete a tax return if you are a higher-rate taxpayer not getting full tax relief for pension contributions and gift aid or wish to claim other expenses and allowances.

I still don't think I need to do a return 

If you have registered for an HMRC gateway, you can log in and check if HMRC still expects a return.

If your income is solely from payroll you might be able to phone HMRC and request that they cancel it if one is required. However, we recommend you log in to your gateway and check there first, as the waiting times for the HMRC lines can be over an hour.

I have untaxed income - what are the next steps to register for Self-assessment?

Here are the next steps:

      a) If you don't have an HMRC government gateway account, please create one here 
      b) If you have previously submitted a tax return, then a return can be made without notifying HMRC. Please do not re-register
      c) If you have never submitted a tax return before, you will need to register to obtain a Unique Tax Reference number. You only do this once
            i) For self-employed (owning a Limited company is not self-employment) please login to your government gateway and register as per the instructions here
            ii) For company directors with dividends, people with rental income or for any other reason, please complete the self-assessment application form here
   
We do not recommend using the postal option. HMRC may charge a £100 penalty for late registration if you register late. The deadline is 5 October after the end of the tax year. So the deadline for 2023-24 is 5 October 2024. The deadline for submission remains 31 January 2025. You won't need to register for self-assessment again, as your UTR number is for life.

    I want Sherwin Currid to do my tax return - what are the steps?
          a) Drop us an email and we will be able to give you a fixed quote: accounts@sherwincurrid.com 
          b) Sign and return our engagement documents 
          c) Send us your UTR number and previous return, if you have one
          d) We will apply for agent authorisation. Once you receive a code from HMRC in the post, please email it to us
          e) We will email you a link to begin your return via our workflow system. This system is also how we'll send documents for you to sign and submit to HMRC

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