HMRC’s VAT online service for agents to be decommissioned
Agents should use their agent services account to manage the VAT affairs of all clients going forward. HMRC has announced that it will phase out the remaining functionality from its legacy VAT services. From 16 April 2024, agents will no longer be able to use HMRC’s online service for agents to: submit a VAT return; […]
HMRC acts on tax repayment agents
ICAEW welcomes further HMRC action to protect taxpayers that use repayment agents. HMRC has acted on three fronts to counter the risks posed by some repayment agents. R40 (PPI) claims HMRC has been receiving a high volume of claims for repayment of tax deducted from interest on PPI claims. Some of the claims are for […]
HMRC contacts agents of businesses in the hot food sector
A letter is being sent to over 500 agents asking them to check whether all sales of clients in the hot food sector are being recognised for VAT, income tax and corporation tax purposes. HMRC has identified over 4,000 businesses where it has reason to believe that their VAT liabilities should be higher than reported. […]
HMRC contacts agents about potential 2021/22 SA discrepancies
Agents will be contacted where there is a discrepancy between the position set out in 2021/22 returns and the P11D and P14 forms submitted by their clients’ employer or child benefit information held by HMRC. HMRC will start sending letters to agents in the week commencing 2 October 2023, continuing through the remainder of October. […]
Agents should expect even longer waiting times on the ADL
HMRC is to formally remove the 10-minute average waiting time standard on the agent dedicated line (ADL). Calls to the ADL on individual PAYE matters may be routed to a separate team. HMRC has announced that from 2 October 2023, it will no longer operate to a 10-minute service level on the ADL. ICAEW members […]
Trial for agents to get HMRC’s response to old post
HMRC is expanding the role of the agent account manager team, which will now assist with processing post that is more than 12 months old. ICAEW and other professional bodies continue to press HMRC on its unacceptable service performance, including long helpline waiting times and delays in handling written correspondence. In response, HMRC is trialling […]
HMRC to introduce more controls over repayment agents
The government will legislate to ban the use of deeds of assignment and introduce other measures to address problems with repayment agents. Care will be needed to avoid unintended consequences for chartered accountants and tax advisers. In its response to the consultation Raising standards in tax advice: protecting customers claiming tax repayments, the government has […]