How convenient Hector - online filing has a bug on 'reduce payment on account' page

[MPwannadecentincome]

I am applying to reduce my payment on account to zero on the basis of a one-off under-calculation of tax during 08 to 09 that will not be repeated.

So I put 0.00 in the amount box and type in my explanation.

The next page says

It has not been possible to update your tax return
It has been not possible to update your tax return. This is due to one of the following reasons:

1. You have more than one internet browser window or tab open which you are updating simultaneously.

2. You don't wait for last page to refresh before selecting 'Next', or you selected 'Next' multiple times.

3. Another person is trying to update this tax return at the same time as you. This will only be the case if you are an Agent, or you have an Agent which you have instructed to complete your tax return on your behalf. If you believe that this may be the case, it is advised that you exit the file a return service and try again later.

Please select 'Back' in order to return to the previous page of your tax return.

I tried it with a value of 1.00 and its the same. I try it with a 'No' and it goes onto the next part fine.

Explanations 1 2 or 3 do not apply. I can go back and still be logged in and entering 'No' works so it must be something to do with the 'Yes' or the data I have entered - surely 0.00 is allowed?

So if I want to file on time I will have to pay £900 extra on top of what I owe on by 31 Jan - fantastic Hector well done - go and add onto the 22K debts I've already got.



K - calmed down now - I will contact the technical helpline about this.

[northernladuk]

Something to be said for doing SA a week before the deadline maybe?

[xoggoth]

You would think it would be the same but some of these fields don't allow 0 but do allow blank or allow 0 but not 0.00. It's well sorted stuff!

If it's only the explanation you can't add, suggest submitting without and sending any ammendments by letter. It's what I did when I couldn't get the stupid Adobe CT return to work and they accepted it. There is a requirement to get your return in on time, that doesn't mean you can't make ammendments afterwards.

[MPwannadecentincome]

Bolx - it was simple - I shortened the text and it accepted it. Stupid people can't even put up a proper error message let alone something helpful on the page to say don't enter more than X characters.

BTW the technical helpline emailed back that the original problem was not a technical one and that I should contact my local tax office ????!

Next problem is that IE8 - I can't save the PDF copy of the tax return - WTF it must be on my drive somewhere. I'll have to try another browser instead. What century is it in HMRC? woops better be careful they read these posts you know!

[xoggoth]

Adobe should sink to the bottom of an ocean somewhere. Hate their products with a vengeance.

[xoggoth]

Their haciendas are rubbish.

[MPwannadecentincome]

The saga doesn't end there!

Well apparently HMRC have changed their bank account details. Upon checking the website what the new details are there are two bank accounts.

How do you know which account to pay into? Well they send you a payment reminder which tells you. Oh great, I saw the payment reminder and threw it in the bin ("I don't need this payment reminder I'll do a bank transfer").

So I've taken the risk and paid it into HMRC Shipley that I last had to pay a few years ago - strangley the bank details are the same now as then?!

To cap all this just got a letter yesterday demanding repayment of Child Tax Credits from the year 08/09. I phoned them up to give the correct figures to match what is in my online filing as the previous set had overestimated by about a grand and I knew it was an estimate when I gave them. Bar steward told me that the last set of figures I gave were recorded as final not estimate and they have to go somewhere else to be adjusted.

I bloody hope they can be adjusted, I distinctly remember saying they were not final - I'll ask them to get the voice tapes from the call if they don't recalculate what I owe them madmad

[xoggoth]

Think Shout99 covered the account change thing recently.