HMRC have confirmed that, because the 31 January filing deadline is on a Sunday, the self assessment helpline (0300 200 3310) and online services helpdesk (0300 200 3600) will have extended hours this weekend:
Issue 48 of Agent Update, HMRC’s bi-monthly news roundup for tax advisers, is now available.
Items include confirmation that the Revenue has updated 15 out of its 20 toolkits, with the remaining five to be revamped over the next few months. The toolkits cover the 400 most common errors that HMRC see in returns filed by tax advisers.
Almost 51,000 phishing emails were reported to HMRC around 2014’s tax credit season – April to July – marking a 100% rise in the number for the same period the year before, official figures show.
The scam messages frequently offered a refund from a “tax credit office agent”, or included a link to a fake version of the GOV.UK website.
Recipients were often asked to provide bank details or similarly sensitive information. Fraudsters then tried to take money from their victims’ account, or sell the people’s identities to fellow criminals.
HMRC are working with the Royal Association for Deaf people (RAD) to pilot new services for hearing-impaired taxpayers.
People who handle their own affairs but are unable to speak to the Revenue directly can contact a British sign language (BSL) interpreter via a webcam, and the interpreter will talk directly to a tax department adviser on the phone to create a three-way conversation.
HMRC want volunteers to help them test the agent online self-serve (AOSS) now that it has successfully moved to a private beta phase.
The tax department is set to launch an expanded view of employer clients PAYE accounts, which will provide a monthly breakdown of employers’ PAYE liabilities and how payments received have been allocated to each period.
Agents wishing to take part in the latest stage of testing should complete the questionnaire on the taxman’s blog.
JL Porter t/a Crafty Creations (TC4364)
HMRC’s online plans will not end happily for taxpayers
The Pensions Regulator has announced plans for a new auto-enrolment solution to help employers that currently use HMRC’s basic PAYE tools.
The proposals, set out in a consultation document, explain how pensions officials would prefer for employers to buy appropriate payroll software, rather than rely on the Revenue’s free offering, which will not be updated to provide automatic enrolment functionality.
Advisers must prepare for the challenges that lie ahead
Digital accounts will reduce the administrative burden of tax currently faced by millions of individuals and small businesses, according to the financial secretary to the Treasury, David Gauke.
Pros and cons of the proposed digital accounts for taxpayers
HMRC plan to publish new pensions guidance in draft form in early spring. The Pensions Tax Manual (PTM) will replace the current Registered Pension Schemes Manual (RPSM).
The transition of Revenue pensions content to GOV.UK means some RPSM guidance aimed at scheme members and their advisers, employers and scheme administrators appears on the pension pages of the government web hub.