HMRC are committed to making tax as accessible as possible. The success of their Making Tax Digital plans relies on each individual taxpayer understanding how to administer their own tax details. Or, at the very least, knowing when they need to seek professional help.
So HMRC are promoting all their new tools to help you understand your tax position; from tax codes to PAYE tax rebates and filing self assessment tax returns. You may have received their emails, with subject lines such as ‘Business Expenses: get the facts’.
Because we believe that people have the right to the knowledge they need, we create our own high quality information. But are also signposting HMRC’s new tools because they are the official administrative body and they have put together useful information in easy to understand chunks.
What kind of free help can I get from HMRC?
You already know about the various phone helplines available for sorting out particular issues. But if you just want to know more about something, there are a whole host of online tools and formats now available.
Webinars
You join a particular webinar (online seminar) at a given date and time. There is some interaction with the person holding the webinar, as you can use an onscreen box to ask questions.
As an example, the Business Expenses Webinar includes:
- “show you what business expenses are
- cover the most common expenses to show what is and isn’t allowable
- to help you enter accurate figures on your tax return”
It’s easy to log on, you just need your email address. And there’s no cost or penalty if you accidentally end up missing the webinar.
YouTube
HMRC has a YouTube channel and their videos are handy introductions to a variety of different topics. Many people prefer to consume video content than to read static words. They learn better with a combination of spoken words and moving images. We really like this inclusivity from HMRC.
Elearning
HMRC have produced a series of easy to follow short courses on tax related subjects. They break down a topic, such as business expenses, into various sections. This includes FAQs, links to relevant GOV.UK pages for more in depth details and illustrative examples. If you prefer to take in information by reading, these are definitely for you.
Online Forum
HMRC’s online customer forum is a useful place to ask specific questions. HMRC admins answer each question and point you in the direction of additional online information. It can also be really useful to see the sorts of questions asked by other people in a similar situation to you. Things you may not have thought of yourself yet.
As you can see, HMRC have done a good job of providing information in different formats that meet a variety of learning preferences. You know if you take things in better through watching a video, reading text, or listening to a webinar and clarifying things with your own questions.
Our tax system is complicated and the thought of having increased responsibility for administering your own tax affairs is daunting for a lot of taxpayers. We applaud HMRC’s provision of information so far. In addition to the online personal tax account facility which is now available there is plenty of easily accessible information to help people find out more about income tax and how to
And remember that we are always here, if you want to discuss your situation with a tax professional that can really get into the nitty gritty of your personal details.
