No more CIS tax refunds
It pays not to talk. HMRC seems hell bent on ditching access to its services by phone. In the last couple of years contacting HMRC by phone for most tax issues has been increasingly limited. The latest victims of the HMRC cutbacks are companies who want to claim a refund of deductions made under the construction industry scheme (CIS).
Poor timing. April is the busiest time of year for CIS claims by companies, so naturally HMRC has chosen it to start refusing claims made by phone! Instead, limited companies or their accountants must claim using an online form (see The next step ).
Tip. If HMRC has agreed that you’re “digitally excluded” (exempt from Making Tax Digital), you can make a claim by post (see The next step ).
Tip. Online claims can’t be made for a tax year that’s current or for a year prior to 2018/19. In these cases you should also send your claim by post.
Non-company claims. There’s no change to claiming refunds for CIS deductions for sole traders and partnerships. These are usually made through self-assessment returns.
For links to HMRC’s online claim form and the address for postal claims, visit https://www.tips-and-advice.co.uk , Download Zone, year 24 issue 14.
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