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Details of the personal allowances for 2010/11 and 2011/12 are on our Frequently Asked Questions page.

HMRC strike leads to extended filing deadline Tax Help understands that the strike action planned by some HMRC staff on 31 January is to focus particularly on their telephone contact centres. As a result, HMRC say they recognise that some Self Assessment online customers who need to talk to them on 31 January may not be able to get through on the phone.

As a consequence, HMRC has decided that NO penalty will be levied on people filing returns on line on either 1st or 2nd of February. Likewise no interest will be levied on payments due by 31st January but not made until 1st or 2nd February. After this, it is back to business as usual.

We are an independent free tax advice service for older people on low incomes who cannot afford to pay for professional advice.

Do you worry about your tax affairs?

Do you know if you are paying the right amount of tax?

Are you afraid of approaching HMRC for help?

We may be able to help you. If your household income is less than Ł17,000 per year and you are a pensioner you will qualify for free tax advice from T.O.P

It doesn't matter where you live in the UK, we have a team of over 720 volunteers available and one probably lives near you. If we cannot arrange a face to face meeting, we will always offer advice by telephone or post.

T.O.P. - TaxHelp for Older People is a service originally provided through the Low Incomes Tax Reform Group (associated with the Chartered Institute of Taxation) but is now provided by Tax Volunteers, an independent organisation, to make free professional advice on personal tax available to older people who could not otherwise afford to pay for it.

If you have any queries, contact TOP on the helpline:

0845 601 3321

01308 488066

or write to: TaxHelp for Older People
Pineapple Business Park, Salway Ash, Bridport, Dorset, DT6 5DB

E-mail taxvol@taxvol.org.uk

Patron - Lord Brooke of Alverthorpe

Member: House of Commons Speaker's Commission on Citizenship 1988, Council of Churches for Britain and Ireland Enquiry into Unemployment and the Future of Work 1995-97, Pensions Compensation Board 1996-2005; Government Partner Director, NATS Limited 2001-06

Patron - The Baroness Noakes DBE

Baroness Noakes has been a Conservative peer since 2000 and was the Opposition Treasury Spokesman in the House of Lords between 2003 and 2010. A chartered accountant by training, she spent 30 years with KPMG and was the first female President of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales. She sat on the Inland Revenue’s management board as a non-executive director from 1992 to 1999 and has also been a member of the Court of the Bank of England. She also holds directorships of listed companies.

Click Here for information on the Blind Persons Allowance.

HMRC Reconciliations

"Have you received an unexpected letter from HMRC telling you that you owe them tax or that they are going to repay you tax? Follow the link to Low Incomes Tax Reform Group (on the left) to see their guide as to what to do"

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BEREAVEMENT & THE TAX SYSTEM

See the latest recommendations on the Low Incomes Tax Reform Group website

Or follow this link Bereavement & the Tax System

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Have you over paid your Tax? Then read on

Tax Back - Change in Deadlines

This is the time to check if you are owed any tax. In the past you could claim back over paid tax going back for 6 years but from 2010 this is being changed to 4 years. We have listed the deadlines below. Please call our helpline if you would like us to check if you are eligible.

Year

Deadline for SA Taxpayers

Deadlines for PAYE Taxpayers

2005-06

05/04/2010

31/01/2012

2006-07

05/04/2011

31/03/2012

2007/08

05/04/2012

05/04/2012

2008/09

05/04/2013

05/04/2013

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Frauds and Scam emails (phishing)

HMRC wants to make sure you can recognise a fraudulent email if you receive one. If you have received an email that you consider to be fraudulent, please forward it to HMRC at phishing@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk. HMRC cannot reply to every email, but it does investigate and take such matters very seriously.

To help you spot a scam email, HMRC has compiled a list of key points to look out for:

Disclosing personal information - HMRC will never ask you to disclose personal information such as your PIN or your passwords, or your bank details. Never disclose this information to anyone.

The padlock - when you log in to HMRC Online Services you are always in a 'secure session' - which is shown by the padlock or an unbroken key in the bottom right hand corner of your web browser. The beginning of HMRC's address will change from 'http' to 'https' when a secure connection is made.

Your name - fraudulent emails are not normally addressed to you personally; they can have missing addressee details or contain something vague such as 'Dear valued customer'.

The sender - HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) was formed on 18th April 2005 following the merger of Inland Revenue and HM Customs and Excise departments. Those former departmental names no longer exist. Recent fraud attempts have used fake departmental names, and purported to be sent from HMRC Board Members.

Links within the email - the email may include a link that you are asked to follow to take you to a website. When a mouse hovers over a link it will often show the underlying URL. If this is different to the one typed in the email do not click on it. Following the link could take you to a site that might look genuine but is most probably a fake, and merely clicking on the link could download malicious software to your computer systems. Always check the site shown in the address bar and if you have any concerns at all, go in via the HMRC website at www.hmrc.gov.uk.

What to do if you receive a scam email

HMRC would never contact you asking you to disclose personal information. If you have received an email requesting personal information or payment of tax, or suggesting that you are due a tax rebate, please take the following action:

do not click on any links included in the email;

send it to phishing@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk then delete it;

if you suspect that your security may have been compromised, run your anti-virus and anti-spyware software applications to check your hard drives for infections; and

review the advice featured on Get Safe Online (opens new window) on rectifying common online security problems.

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For the latest news and general guidance on tax topics visit the Low Incomes Tax Reform Group web site www.litrg.org.uk

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If you have received a tax return for 2010/11, it must be submitted to HMRC by 31 October 2011 (Paper) or 31 January 2012 (Online)

Don't forget, you do not have to make a return unless one has been issued to you, unless you have an untaxed source of income of which HMRC is not aware (eg, started letting a property in 2010/11) or have made a large Capital Gain

Volunteers... please check membership pages for latest news......

LATEST NEWSLETTER - October 2011

Tax Volunteers is a company limited by guarantee, company no. 4894491
Registered office Artillery House, 11-19 Artillery Row, London, SW1P 1RT
Registered charity no. 1102276