Frequently Asked Questions

No. Once you're registered, your UTR stays the same and you just file a new return each year.

You don't need to do anything differently from year to year in terms of setup. The only exception is if your circumstances change and you no longer need to file — in that case you should contact HMRC to ask them to remove you from Self Assessment, otherwise they'll continue to expect a return from you each year.

If this is your first time filing Self Assessment, yes — you need to register with HMRC before you can file.

The deadline to register is 5 October following the end of the tax year you're reporting. For the 2025/26 tax year (which ended 5 April 2026), that means registering by 5 October 2026.

Once registered, HMRC sends you a Unique Taxpayer Reference (UTR) number by post, which you need before you can file.

If you haven't registered yet, it's worth doing as early as possible to avoid delays. Message us on live chat and we can guide you through it, or book a call with us if you'd prefer to talk it through.

PAYE (Pay As You Earn) is the system your employer uses to deduct income tax and National Insurance from your wages before you're paid. You never have to do anything — it happens automatically.

Self Assessment is how you report income that PAYE doesn't cover, such as freelance work, rental income, dividends, or capital gains.

Some people only ever use PAYE. Others use both. If you have income from multiple sources or anything outside of employment, Self Assessment is how you tell HMRC about it.

Don't ignore it. A notice to file is a legal requirement, and if you miss the deadline the automatic £100 penalty applies even if you end up owing nothing.

Contact HMRC and ask them to withdraw the notice — you can do this by phone or post, explaining why you don't believe you need to file. HMRC will confirm in writing if they agree to remove it. Until you get that confirmation, the return is still due.

If you're unsure how to approach it, message us on live chat and we can advise.

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.