HMRC carrying over previous year's allowances etc

[Blown2CV]

something that has bitten me a few times over my working life is HMRC carrying over data from the previous tax year into the next year. I mean things like expenses, allowances, benefits whatever you want to call them. They assume this year will be like last year. I'd prefer it if they just reset it every year, as I am a self assessment 'customer' anyway so I want to just submit it all after the end of the year. Has anyone had any success in telling HMRC they want to do this, or do i need to go into a 2 hour hold queue every tax year just to tell them not to do something I never asked them to do...

[MustangGT]

I am PAYE-based for my main job with multiple incomes. I just go online and tell them via the website. Mostly successful. Use the current year view and you can change various items such as expenses etc.

[Blown2CV]

I know I can do basic stuff e.g. i can tell them about job related benefits yes, and i can tell them about estimated pay, but i cannot tell them through the portal about things like job related expenses etc. They just assume this year will be like last year. I also can't see a definitive list of allowances or deductions which are applied to my account and driving my tax coding.

[Sheepshanks]

Why can't you just use the free type box on the self assessment account page to send them a note?

I had some pension being taxed at 40% on a D0 code as they had me down as still being employed even though they know (from the P45) that I finished work in June 24.

I sent them a note and they changed it. The slightly odd thing was I didn't get any communication back, not even a new coding notice. But the next month my pension was more than usual as it had the rebate in it so they changed it pretty quickly.

If you do reduce the tax you pay during the year then they can charge you interest if it turns out tax was due.

[Blown2CV]

Sheepshanks said:

Why can't you just use the free type box on the self assessment account page to send them a note?

I had some pension being taxed at 40% on a D0 code as they had me down as still being employed even though they know (from the P45) that I finished work in June 24.

I sent them a note and they changed it. The slightly odd thing was I didn't get any communication back, not even a new coding notice. But the next month my pension was more than usual as it had the rebate in it so they changed it pretty quickly.

If you do reduce the tax you pay during the year then they can charge you interest if it turns out tax was due.

the issue is that i have limited visibility of what they have in place, so whilst i can use a free text box to specify what i want to happen, I don't quite know what i am asking them to change. They could make a lot easier by just displaying what is currently on the account. Another factor is that even if you get your SA in the quickest you can possibly do it, it still takes until the second half of july and takes further time for them to action any instructions. So, i could be 5 months at least into the tax year before they even do anything with a message I send in the SA.

[Scabutz]

Get the HMRC app. You can change it in there. I had it when they kept medical insurance I no longer had. Remove it and within a day or so a new tax code is issued.

[Blown2CV]

Scabutz said:

Get the HMRC app. You can change it in there. I had it when they kept medical insurance I no longer had. Remove it and within a day or so a new tax code is issued.

you can't; not all of it anyway. Medical insurance is a work benefit which you can change, however i am also talking about things like business expenses which you can't.

The thing I don't get is that things like benefits tend to be more similar year to year, so i can see the logic of them not needing to be added every year, and kept on until further notice... however business expenses change wildly year to year and yet cannot be changed and automatically carry over. It's stupid.