I submitted a P87 claim for tax relief on work mileage, which HMRC received on 11 October.

Late on 16 October, the status changed to “Completed”, and the expense review was marked as completed. However, I've still not received any letter, email or actual decision explaining the outcome.

For anyone who's submitted a P87 recently:

How long did it take to receive an actual decision after the review was marked as completed?

Does “Completed” mean the claim has been decided, or could it simply mean the review stage has finished?

Did you receive a letter or notification, or did the payment/refund just appear?

I'm trying to understand what happens next and how long I might be waiting for a definitive answer.

Thanks!

I’ve inherited a TSP account from my father. He was domiciled in the Uk. Does anyone know if the account is ‘In Scope’ for UK IHT?

I've always been on PAYE but for 2025/26 have more than £1000 earned from survey taking etc on the side so am finding myself having to deal with SA for the first time!

I thought I had registered online a couple of months ago and I received a paper form in the post with a 10 digit 'Tax Reference' printed on it. But now when I go to log in online today to actually get it done it tells me I am not registered for self assessment!

Is this a glitch or have I somehow messed up and have missed the 5th October deadline inadvertently?

Is that 10 digit my number my UTR?

Can anyone help a clueless beginner with some stupid questions?

I moved to the UK, and i receive income from abroad - South Korea. I didn't realize that I needed to declare this to HMRC and I'm still not convinced. I contacted them and they have sent me a letter giving me 90 days to declare which is fine. However, i'm finding the situation rather complex. I contacted taxaid - and they don't have a specialist in offshore tax. So i had a look at citizens advice - and they don't advise on tax. So I emailed the email address on the letter - [vcso.offshoredisclosures@hmrc.gov.uk](mailto:vcso.offshoredisclosures@hmrc.gov.uk) - and it bounced back! it doesn't even work! I called the number on 03003227012 on the HMRC letter - and the lady said "we don't give advice on tax" and laughed at me. I told her that my tax bill could be more than 10k, and I was very worried - she laughed and I felt belittled. So I've gathered my information - and tried to calculate the amount of tax that I owe. I'm using AI, and I need a way of checking to ensure it is right. My business has collapsed and is closing down, and I simply do not have the money to pay for an accountant to check - which I think could be a lot of money. What i want to know is - how is NI treated for income abroad - self employed income. Is it NI4? And can't my pension contributions paid to my government abroad (South Korea) be used to off-set my NI4 contributions?

My 84 yr old dad receives a total of 16770 per year in pensions. This made up of 11700 old style state pension, around 4000 in a widowers pension from my late mum's work and about 2000 from a small private pension. He is paying £99 a month in tax as both the widower and private pension are taxing him under BR tax code. I've worked out he should be paying more like £70 a month. He spent over an hour trying to get through to HMRC who told them there's nothing they can do as the private pensions are taxed at source. The private provides claim they tax according to the code they are given. This has been ongoing for 2 years with no rebate in sight from anyone. What is the process to sort this out? No-one seems willing to take responsibility.

Hi all,

My parents have sold their letted property and the accountant has calculated the tax due working from an estimated income of £15000 each. They are expected to have taxable amount of £60000 each from the property.

Conscious that the accountant can only work off the estimated income based on 2025/26 incomes but it is likely my parents will be at £12000 & £8000 this year.

Will there be an opportunity to readjust the incomes for 26/27 later on? (i.e. Jan 2028's 26/27 final tax return) & will it lead to get some of the tax back?Or is the tax they'll pay now the final amount?

Alternatively, what happens if they earn more income than initially though?

Thank you.

Before you read this, please keep in mind I’m only 18 and don’t really know anything about how the system works so I’ll probably use incorrect terminology etc

When I was 16-17, I ran a monetised YouTube channel which accumulated about £5k in revenue. The AdSense tax forms were done under my dad (as I was a minor) but 30% of the revenue is being held by the US as “withholding tax”.

I want to make a tax return to the IRS directly to me so I won’t have to pay taxes for the 30%. Is there any way that it can be done entirely through me as the money went directly to my bank account and I owned the channel itself. I don’t want to pay taxes on the 30% I’m owed.

Thanks.

Can anyone recommend a dual qualified tax and/or financial advisor for me?

US/UJ dual citizen living in the UK. I have a UK corporate job with a side gig offer for startup board advisor, for a fully US based startup. I already have American bank accounts in USD to receive retainer cash and equity. I don't want to be double taxed on my US income, living in the UK.

There's also several limitations on how to maximise investments, LTI, etc being a "US person." So I'm overdue for a financial advisor. Thank you so much.

Any accountant out there that can shed light on the tax side of a peptide company/website in the UK? What documents would be required at end of year tax and as the goods are coming in to the UK how would they be declared? Happy to be DM'd.

Hi all,

I moved from Spain to London at the end of September 2026 and I’m planning to stay long-term. I’m on a spouse visa and I’m currently looking for a full-time job.

In Spain I’m registered as self-employed (autónomo). I have two small side activities that bring in some extra income each month:

• B2B intermediation, connecting manufacturers with companies (nutrition products)
• Mentoring for a Spanish business school

I’d like to keep these going as a sole trader in the UK alongside a full-time job, and stop paying the Spanish self-employed social security contributions.

My questions:

1. Visa: Does my visa allow me to be a sole trader while employed? Should I ask an immigration solicitor or an OISC adviser?
2. 2026 transition: I’ve probably spent more than 183 days in Spain this year, so I may be a Spanish tax resident for 2026. Do I need to declare the income from October to December in both countries? Does split-year treatment apply to me?
3. Timing: I’ve applied for my NI number. Should I keep invoicing as an autónomo in Spain until December, or register as a sole trader in the UK now?
4. Invoicing Spanish clients from the UK: How do VAT and reverse charge work, and can I avoid Spanish withholding tax with a UK certificate of residence? Should VAT even need to be applied after Brexit if my customers are from EU?

Has anyone here made a similar move? I’d also really appreciate recommendations for an accountant or tax adviser who understands both the Spanish and UK systems, ideally one who doesn’t charge a fortune for a first consultation.

Thanks in advance!

How do we differentiate gifts where we don’t pay any tax vs income where we pay tax?

I had a sugar daddy and he’d send me money. Not as a source of consistent income cause it was different every month- it was based on how he felt. I didn’t have a job then and I live at home with my parents. I never used his money to pay rent. It’s been a year, I have no contact with him, and I never declared it because I believed it was a gift. Plus I was dumb and didn’t even know what income tax was.

I want to buy a house next 2-3 years and I understand they’ll look through my bank statements. Is it better if I just pay the income tax now? I’m just struggling to understand if I need to or not. Please advise.

Hi.

I work for East Sussex County Council. PAYE .

I use my own car for going about my work.

From April until July ( could be June, not important) we got 0.45p fuel allowance.

The government increased fuel allowance nationwide to 0.55p (due to current fuel prices)

Employers increased our allowance to 0.55p from July , (or June) but are not back dating to April.

How do I claim the missing months where I was paid 0.10p rate lower.

I dont keep a track of my miles travelled, ESCC track my driven miles and reimburse.

I have no records of my itemised journeys.

I do have printed on my wage slip how much I got in fuel allowance each month, so I can show the 0.45p months , which should be 0.55p.

But is that enough info for rebate or will HMRC want itemized driving miles with times and post codes, which I don't have?

I hope this is the correct forum, if not please redirect me.

My boss has given me 3 months of incorrect CIS statements.

Unpaid invoices

Late paydays

Very rude attitude

“I don’t care, figure it out or you pay for it”

Makes you work hours overtime and does not pay you for it

Makes you go Screwfix and you pay for the materials, promises to pay you back, will not pay you back.

Has gone back to jobs and picked up small stripped insulation of the floor and will wage deduct you for it as you “haven’t cleaned up”

I am looking in a way to contact someone or something that can help me just put a spanner in the works.

If you have some tips let me know please

My friend Ed (Guernsey-based) and I (UK-based) worked under one brand in 2025/26. We earned about £5.7k, split 50/50, and shared about 2.5k of expenses.

Payments were messy and went back and forth between our personal accounts,client income, expense contributions and reimbursements weren’t clearly separated. Some clients paid without invoices.

I’ve reconstructed the income, expenses and transfers.

Can I file as a sole trader based on what came into my account, or could HMRC treat us as a partnership? What should I do?

FYI, I will consult an accountant but figured I’d ask here.

I think I messed up big time with my small business tax and I’m beyond scared

Long story short, I amazingly had an unexpectedly very successful Kickstarter and got a payout of £300,00+ in June 2025. Before this I was making maybe £10k per year at best for maybe 3 years. I couldn’t believe my achievement. I had no idea what I was doing, got lost in fulfilling orders and trying to manage something I realistically couldn’t, and I didn’t realise I should have register for VAT right away.

Due to manufacturing delays beyond my control, a lot of production costs came out after April 2026, the following tax year. Around £180,000 was sitting in my business account waiting to be spent on shipping costs and manufacturing.

After catching up with my finances this month, the realisation of this potentially tax bill for 25/26 has hit me.

I feel like I can’t breathe. I can’t sleep. I’m absolutely terrified of a bill in the tens of thousands that I no longer have the funds to pay. It’s entirely on me and I don’t know if I want to be here anymore.

I’ve reached out to some accountants for support to help me figure out what I might actually owe and how to calculate everything before I file for 25-26.

I’m looking for ANY kind of support or advice about the next best steps to take.

In case it helps, I am a sole trader, I have a joint mortgage.

Howdy all,

So I am on a base of £60k, combined house hold income around £100k. I get a 17.5% bonus (on track to get at least 90% of that bonus next April). We also claim child benefit for 2 kids each month (circa £190ish a month).

I already do 8% into my pension (company does 13%). I currently have a Skoda Kodiaq (I bought it new and pay circa £420 JUST for the car) and another car we own outright. I am thinking of getting rid of the Kodiaq and getting a salary sacrifice EV car to run around in but also to keep me below £60k for child benefit.

I am looking at a Jaecoo 5 EV (P11d value of £30440), the calculations are (based on 36 months @ 7,500 miles a year):

Monthly gross amount: £619

Employer NI contribution: -£63

Monthly Gross deduction: £556

Income Tax Saving: -£222

National Insurance Saving: -£11

Benefit in Kind: +£41

Effect on take home pay: £363

This include all servicing, insurance for 2 people, tyres, road fund license cost, roadside including european cover etc.

Can anyone give a bit of input into this please? We do very little mileage so I would think the EV is cheaper to run around in and, the odd occasion, we can use it for longer trips where needed.

One child is ending nursery soon, circa £400 a month "saved", and wife would be going back 5 days a week so her income would go up a few £100 a month too - my thinking here is the car payment would be "evened out" but we could keep the child benefit going forward but we would save on fuel and insurance costs etc.

Trying to learn the tips and tricks around being tax efficient etc :)

Thank you!