Frequently Asked Questions

The most important thing is to file your return on time even if you can't pay.

Missing the filing deadline adds penalties on top of the tax debt — so filing and paying late is much better than not filing at all.

Once filed, contact HMRC about a Time to Pay arrangement, which lets you spread payments over an agreed period. HMRC is generally willing to set these up for people who engage proactively.

If your situation is complicated or you're worried about dealing with HMRC directly, message us on live chat and we can point you in the right direction.

Yes, in certain circumstances.

HMRC accepts appeals based on a 'reasonable excuse' — things like serious illness, bereavement, or a technical failure on HMRC's own systems. You normally need to appeal within 30 days of receiving the penalty notice.

HMRC doesn't usually accept forgetting about the deadline, finding the form too difficult, or relying on an accountant who didn't file on time as reasonable excuses.

If you think you have valid grounds, you can appeal online through your HMRC account or by writing to HMRC.

Not sure if your situation qualifies? Message us on live chat.

HMRC charges penalties that stack up the longer you leave it:

• Day after the deadline: automatic £100 penalty, regardless of whether you owe any tax
• After 3 months: £10 per day for up to 90 days (up to £900)
• After 6 months: 5% of the tax due or £300, whichever is higher
• After 12 months: a further 5% or £300

Interest is also charged on any unpaid tax.

The key thing: filing as soon as possible stops the daily charges. If you can't pay the bill, file anyway — that limits penalties to the late payment side only. You can then contact HMRC about a Time to Pay arrangement to spread the cost.

We can help you file even if you're already late — just message us on live chat.

A payment on account is an advance payment towards your next year's tax bill.

If your Self Assessment tax bill is over £1,000, HMRC automatically splits your next year's estimated bill into two instalments and asks you to pay them in advance: the first on 31 January (alongside your current year's bill) and the second on 31 July. Each payment is half of your previous year's bill.

This catches a lot of first-year filers by surprise — in January you could end up paying your 2024/25 bill plus the first instalment towards 2025/26 all at once.

If your income is likely to be lower in the current year, you can apply to reduce your payments on account.

If you're unsure how this affects you, message us on live chat.

If you sell a UK residential property that isn't fully covered by Private Residence Relief and there's CGT to pay, you must report the sale and pay the tax within 60 days of the completion date.

This applies to: second homes, buy-to-lets, inherited properties you didn't live in, and any property where PRR only partially applies.

The 60-day clock starts from the completion date — not the date you exchanged contracts. It's 60 calendar days, so weekends and bank holidays count.

Even if your gain is small or you think you might not owe much, you still need to report within 60 days if there's any taxable gain at all. This is completely separate from your annual Self Assessment return.

Missing the deadline results in an automatic late filing penalty from HMRC.

If you've recently completed a property sale, message us on live chat as soon as possible so we can get started within the window.

Only one property can be your main home at any one time for CGT purposes.

Your main home is covered by Private Residence Relief and is generally exempt from CGT when you sell it. The other property — whether it's a second home, a buy-to-let, or a property you've inherited — won't benefit from PRR and any gain on sale will be subject to CGT.

If you own two properties and haven't formally nominated one as your main residence, HMRC looks at the facts: where you spend most of your time, where you're registered to vote, where your post goes, and so on.

You can formally nominate your main residence by writing to HMRC within 2 years of first owning two homes at the same time.

If you've recently acquired a second property or are planning to sell one, message us on live chat or book a call with us — it's worth getting advice on your specific situation.

Yes. Before we calculate your CGT liability, we check every available relief to make sure your bill is as low as it legally can be.

The main ones we look at are:

Private Residence Relief (PRR): if the property was your main home for any part of your ownership, this can significantly reduce or eliminate the taxable gain.

Lettings Relief: in limited circumstances, if you lived in the property at the same time as letting part of it, you may be entitled to additional relief.

The Annual Exempt Amount: the first £3,000 of gains each year is tax-free, and for joint owners each person gets their own allowance.

Allowable costs: purchase costs, legal and estate agent fees, stamp duty, and the cost of any improvements to the property can all be deducted from the gain.

We do all of this as part of the service — you don't need to work any of it out yourself.

Private Residence Relief (PRR) is the tax relief that exempts the gain on your main home from Capital Gains Tax.

If you lived in the property as your only or main residence for the entire time you owned it, the full gain is exempt and you don't need to report the sale.

PRR also covers the final 9 months of ownership automatically, even if you've already moved out by then. So if you moved out and rented the property before selling, the last 9 months still count as a period of residence for relief purposes.

PRR is reduced proportionally for any periods where the property wasn't your main home — for example, if you owned it for 10 years but only lived in it for 7, roughly 70% of the gain (plus the final 9 months) would be exempt.

If you're not sure whether PRR applies to your sale in full or in part, message us on live chat — it's one of the most common areas where people either over or underpay.