[Albion] Bereavement - Self Assessment Tax Return Advice

[Paulie Gualtieri]

Hi all,

Unfortunately lost my father in December and have dealt with the majority of matters on the estate, this includes the “Tell me once” HM Gov process which notifies HMRC.

I’ve since had a letter from HMRC letter requesting the final two tax returns.

The latest will not be an issue as he was unable to work due to covid (kitchen design) so will use the SEISS payments as sole income. However the previous year is proving to be more difficult.

I know he had started the return but since we’ve cancelled his mobile contracts I can no longer access his government gateway. He also used Quickbooks and without the password details has been a challenge. I have contacted Quickbooks and seemingly they are resisting access due to GDPR which I have explained he’s passed away and can furnish them with a death certificate and so forth.

Looking for some advice what to do if I can’t get any further with QB or HMRC direct gov access as the only income I am aware of in the relevant year was also SEISS. Surely I can only complete in good faith as to what I know and the reasonable steps I have taken (evidence of this held) just wondered if anyone had been in the same position and can advise of their experience?

I want to put this matter to bed for my mum

Many thanks

 

[WATFORD zero]

Hi all,

Unfortunately lost my father in December and have dealt with the majority of matters on the estate, this includes the “Tell me once” HM Gov process which notifies HMRC.

I’ve since had a letter from HMRC letter requesting the final two tax returns.

The latest will not be an issue as he was unable to work due to covid (kitchen design) so will use the SEISS payments as sole income. However the previous year is proving to be more difficult.

I know he had started the return but since we’ve cancelled his mobile contracts I can no longer access his government gateway. He also used Quickbooks and without the password details has been a challenge. I have contacted Quickbooks and seemingly they are resisting access due to GDPR which I have explained he’s passed away and can furnish them with a death certificate and so forth.

Looking for some advice what to do if I can’t get any further with QB or HMRC direct gov access as the only income I am aware of in the relevant year was also SEISS. Surely I can only complete in good faith as to what I know and the reasonable steps I have taken (evidence of this held) just wondered if anyone had been in the same position and can advise of their experience?

I want to put this matter to bed for my mum

Many thanks

Sorry for your loss and I know how much work can be involved.

If possible I would get an accountant (and I know there's a few on here), explain your situation, what you have done to try and get the information and see whether you can use the previous year as a basis. I would hope that would only be a few hundred quid.

Hopefully, someone far more qualified than me will be along soon to give some proper advice.

 

[dsr-burnley]

With tax returns you can include estimated figures, and there's a box you tick to say that they're estimated. Then somewhere else on the return you explain why they are estimated. So if you can make more or less sensible estimates, that might be all that you need.

Have you tried the old fashioned approach of looking at the bank statements? You should get total income from that?

 

[Paulie Gualtieri]

With tax returns you can include estimated figures, and there's a box you tick to say that they're estimated. Then somewhere else on the return you explain why they are estimated. So if you can make more or less sensible estimates, that might be all that you need.

Have you tried the old fashioned approach of looking at the bank statements? You should get total income from that?

Thanks, yes have ordered as a starting point, might need to appointment an accountant to offset costs

 

[Deleted member 22389]

Hi all,

Unfortunately lost my father in December and have dealt with the majority of matters on the estate, this includes the “Tell me once” HM Gov process which notifies HMRC.

I’ve since had a letter from HMRC letter requesting the final two tax returns.

The latest will not be an issue as he was unable to work due to covid (kitchen design) so will use the SEISS payments as sole income. However the previous year is proving to be more difficult.

I know he had started the return but since we’ve cancelled his mobile contracts I can no longer access his government gateway. He also used Quickbooks and without the password details has been a challenge. I have contacted Quickbooks and seemingly they are resisting access due to GDPR which I have explained he’s passed away and can furnish them with a death certificate and so forth.

Looking for some advice what to do if I can’t get any further with QB or HMRC direct gov access as the only income I am aware of in the relevant year was also SEISS. Surely I can only complete in good faith as to what I know and the reasonable steps I have taken (evidence of this held) just wondered if anyone had been in the same position and can advise of their experience?

I want to put this matter to bed for my mum

Many thanks

When my dad died I got a Grant of Probate. I'm sure If you get this you can then deal with his estate. It's annoying as I went through the same thing, the Death Certificate is sometimes not enough.

https://www.gov.uk/applying-for-probate/if-theres-not-a-will

https://www.which.co.uk/money/wills-and-probate/probate/grant-of-probate-acz9s2g9v01h

 

[Paulie Gualtieri]

When my dad died I got a Grant of Probate. I'm sure If you get this you can then deal with his estate. It's annoying as I went through the same thing, the Death Certificate is sometimes not enough.

https://www.gov.uk/applying-for-probate/if-theres-not-a-will

https://www.which.co.uk/money/wills-and-probate/probate/grant-of-probate-acz9s2g9v01h

Thanks, didn’t need a GOP as both Dad and Mum had mirrored wills and therefore sole beneficiaries of their estate.

 

[Deleted member 22389]

Thanks, didn’t need a GOP as both Dad and Mum had mirrored wills and therefore sole beneficiaries of their estate.

If your mum was dealing with it, I should imagine the companies would be more forthcoming in passing over the information.

 

[Westdene Seagull]

Thanks, didn’t need a GOP as both Dad and Mum had mirrored wills and therefore sole beneficiaries of their estate.

You don't need it from a legal perspective but some organisations such as banks require it for you to be able to act on behalf of the person that has passed away. Sorry to hear about your loss - I'm still going through the pain of tax returns, probate etc after both my parents died last year so I know the challenges you're going through.

 

[Paulie Gualtieri]

You don't need it from a legal perspective but some organisations such as banks require it for you to be able to act on behalf of the person that has passed away. Sorry to hear about your loss - I'm still going through the pain of tax returns, probate etc after both my parents died last year so I know the challenges you're going through.

Thanks, and sorry for your loss.

I’ve managed to deal with all the financials / collection of funds, life insurance, paid off the mortgage etc. I started the process with my mum present who gave authority for me to act after I got her to supply the death certificate.

HMRC tax returns are the last hurdle.

I will try again with HMRC to see if we can resurrect his government gateway as I understand two years previous he may have part completed it, so even getting that information will fill in the blanks for that year. The most recent year I know for certain he wasn’t working due to covid restrictions and also illness himself so will use the SEISS income for that year to hopefully conclude matters.

 

[Deleted member 22389]

Thanks, and sorry for your loss.

I’ve managed to deal with all the financials / collection of funds, life insurance, paid off the mortgage etc. I started the process with my mum present who gave authority for me to act after I got her to supply the death certificate.

HMRC tax returns are the last hurdle.

I will try again with HMRC to see if we can resurrect his government gateway as I understand two years previous he may have part completed it, so even getting that information will fill in the blanks for that year. The most recent year I know for certain he wasn’t working due to covid restrictions and also illness himself so will use the SEISS income for that year to hopefully conclude matters.

Its bloody difficult and also stressful.

Hope you can sort this last bit out.

My mums elderly, her hearing is now going and her mental capacity has really slowed over the last year. Along with that my brother has learning difficulties and anxiety. I'm on the verge of getting power of attorney over both now, because it will make my life so much easier.

 

[Westdene Seagull]

Thanks, and sorry for your loss.

I’ve managed to deal with all the financials / collection of funds, life insurance, paid off the mortgage etc. I started the process with my mum present who gave authority for me to act after I got her to supply the death certificate.

HMRC tax returns are the last hurdle.

I will try again with HMRC to see if we can resurrect his government gateway as I understand two years previous he may have part completed it, so even getting that information will fill in the blanks for that year. The most recent year I know for certain he wasn’t working due to covid restrictions and also illness himself so will use the SEISS income for that year to hopefully conclude matters.

I got asked by HMRC to do a return for my Mum. I phoned them as I had no idea what her income had been. They were very helpful and gave me the figures from her previous return and said just to put those on the new return and tick the estimate box.

 

[CheeseRolls]

Its bloody difficult and also stressful.

Hope you can sort this last bit out.

My mums elderly, her hearing is now going and her mental capacity has really slowed over the last year. Along with that my brother has learning difficulties and anxiety. I'm on the verge of getting power of attorney over both now, because it will make my life so much easier.

I went down this route to try and pre-empt problems. Progress is glacial. You can register for financial and health PoA and you have a choice of doing this on paper or digitally.

For my mum and all the people she trusts to sign as witnesses, paper was the only realistic option. Covid slowed down the collection process hugely and I think I had to do at least a couple of rounds of errors and omissions and at least a couple of times I thought mum might just give up on it.

The submission process was then diabolical. I sent the completed forms in September, knowing I would need to pay. I know longer have a cheque book and couldn't see how this would be an issue. When I didn't hear anything, I called them and the recorded message advises you need to wait at least 20 weeks before making contact. In January they posted the forms back to me, as payment had not been received. This was the first and only communication.

I sent back the forms with a covering letter, in which I explained that there is absolutely no way I would provide credit card details to someone unknown who randomly phoned me up, a further phone call established that a new company is now processing the PoA applications and that there is a new process. If you wait four weeks, they will scan the application. I have now managed to call them and make the payments (2*£82), to enable someone to start looking at the applications.

Remember, this is the simple route! My advice is don't delay, but don't expect this to be simple or straightforward. You will be dealing with a government quango, which is slapdash with sensitive personal information and is promoting a method of payment, which is an open invitation for fraud. I would have been far more happy to pay £85 per application and have someone scan the documents on day of receipt and generate a unique reference and an invoice. It is really that simple to fix.

 

[Deleted member 22389]

I went down this route to try and pre-empt problems. Progress is glacial. You can register for financial and health PoA and you have a choice of doing this on paper or digitally.

For my mum and all the people she trusts to sign as witnesses, paper was the only realistic option. Covid slowed down the collection process hugely and I think I had to do at least a couple of rounds of errors and omissions and at least a couple of times I thought mum might just give up on it.

The submission process was then diabolical. I sent the completed forms in September, knowing I would need to pay. I know longer have a cheque book and couldn't see how this would be an issue. When I didn't hear anything, I called them and the recorded message advises you need to wait at least 20 weeks before making contact. In January they posted the forms back to me, as payment had not been received. This was the first and only communication.

I sent back the forms with a covering letter, in which I explained that there is absolutely no way I would provide credit card details to someone unknown who randomly phoned me up, a further phone call established that a new company is now processing the PoA applications and that there is a new process. If you wait four weeks, they will scan the application. I have now managed to call them and make the payments (2*£82), to enable someone to start looking at the applications.

Remember, this is the simple route! My advice is don't delay, but don't expect this to be simple or straightforward. You will be dealing with a government quango, which is slapdash with sensitive personal information and is promoting a method of payment, which is an open invitation for fraud. I would have been far more happy to pay £85 per application and have someone scan the documents on day of receipt and generate a unique reference and an invoice. It is really that simple to fix.

Thank you for this info.

 

[Paulie Gualtieri]

Thanks to all contributors [emoji1303]

 

[CheeseRolls]

Thanks to all contributors [emoji1303]

Forgot to mention HMRC are not great either. They sent me a cheque during Covid, as a refund for my dad's estate. I had to make a special visit to the bank to pay this in. This is definitely a modern problem, there is no longer a branch near me and 99% of the time it makes no odds to me. Several months later they sent me a request for payment as they had miscalculated the rebate. I couldn't pay this online and had to go through the trauma of telephone support. Generally I find them relatively straightforward to deal with online and whilst it is understandable why this is an exception, it doesn't make things any easier. Good luck!