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Will Revenue get my tax right?

23/ 6/2008

Q I'M making an early start in preparing my tax return for 2007-08 but can't face the tax calculation and don't want to use the internet. Even if I use the tax pages, how can I tell if I've made a mistake? Will the Revenue calculate this for me?

A IF you want H M Revenue & Customs to calculate your tax for you, you will need to submit your tax return to them by October 31, 2008, otherwise you will have to do the calculation yourself.

To calculate the tax yourself you will need to request the Tax Calculation Summary supplementary page from HMRC (orderline 0845 9000 404). When issued, this supplementary page should be accompanied by a set of notes, and these notes contain a working sheet designed so that someone who is not a tax specialist can calculate the tax due.

Other options are that you could buy a computer package or ask someone with appropriate experience to help you. Will HMRC calculate the tax correctly? Probably. Remember, though, that they take the figures from your return. If these are not legible, or the person at HMRC who is keying in the information picks up a wrong number, the calculation will be incorrect. You could then try the working sheet (contained within the Tax Calculation Summary notes) and compare your results with HMRC's. If HMRC do not produce the same result, something must have gone wrong somewhere, and you can then ask them to explain why.