{"id":136,"date":"2019-05-28T14:14:25","date_gmt":"2019-05-28T13:14:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/taxfix.com\/en-uk\/?p=136"},"modified":"2026-01-28T07:48:01","modified_gmt":"2026-01-28T07:48:01","slug":"appealing-an-hmrc-self-assessment-penalty","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/taxfix.com\/en-uk\/self-assessment-basics\/appealing-an-hmrc-self-assessment-penalty\/","title":{"rendered":"Appealing an HMRC Self Assessment penalty"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>If you\u2019ve received a penalty notice from HMRC, don\u2019t worry (too much) because all is not lost! In this guide, we\u2019ll walk you through the process of <strong>appealing an HMRC Self Assessment penalty<\/strong>, from the reasons for the fine to the steps you need to take.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why did I receive a fine from HMRC?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Usually, you were slapped with a fine for one of these two reasons:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Failure to Notify: HMRC believes that you needed to file a tax return, but you didn\u2019t&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/taxfix.com\/en-uk\/late-tax-return-penalties\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Late filing or late payment<\/a> \ud83e\udee3<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How do I appeal a Self Assessment penalty?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>There are two ways of <strong>appealing an HMRC Self Assessment penalty<\/strong>: <\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.uk\/government\/organisations\/hm-revenue-customs\/contact\/self-assessment\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Online or by phone<\/a> (this can only be done for the \u00a3100 late filing penalty)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>By printing and sending <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.uk\/government\/publications\/self-assessment-appeal-against-penalties-for-late-filing-and-late-payment-sa370\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">the SA370 appeal form<\/a> to HMRC by post<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>In either case, you\u2019ll need to provide details of your reasonable excuse for late filing or not filing at all. But this can\u2019t be any old excuse though, like you had to walk your fridge. HMRC are quite strict with what excuses they deem reasonable. Find out more about this <a href=\"https:\/\/taxfix.com\/en-uk\/glossary\/reasonable-excuse\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What counts as a reasonable excuse?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>A reasonable excuse for <strong>appealing an HMRC Self Assessment penalty<\/strong> is anything that stopped you from doing your taxes, even if you tried to. This could be:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Your partner or relative died right before the tax return deadline<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>You had a severe illness at the time<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Your computer failed as you were filing<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The <a href=\"https:\/\/taxfix.com\/en-uk\/glossary\/hmrc-online-services\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">HMRC online services<\/a> didn\u2019t work on that day<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A fire, flood, theft, or other major incident that prevented you<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>In other words, very dire situations. \ud83d\ude2e\u200d\ud83d\udca8<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/taxfix.com\/en-uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/25Q3_TS_Rebrand_UK_Website_Content_Blog-and-guides_are-you-landlord-material.png\" width=\"1280\" height=\"672\" srcset=\"https:\/\/taxfix.com\/en-uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/25Q3_TS_Rebrand_UK_Website_Content_Blog-and-guides_are-you-landlord-material-300x158.png 300w, https:\/\/taxfix.com\/en-uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/25Q3_TS_Rebrand_UK_Website_Content_Blog-and-guides_are-you-landlord-material-1024x538.png 1024w, https:\/\/taxfix.com\/en-uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/25Q3_TS_Rebrand_UK_Website_Content_Blog-and-guides_are-you-landlord-material-768x403.png 768w, https:\/\/taxfix.com\/en-uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/25Q3_TS_Rebrand_UK_Website_Content_Blog-and-guides_are-you-landlord-material.png 1280w\" class=\"wp-block-image__media\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 1000px) 768px, calc(100vw - 48px)\" alt=\"2 landlords discussing\"><\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What doesn\u2019t count as an excuse?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>A few examples:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>You asked someone else to file your self assessment tax return, and they didn\u2019t do it<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Your payment failed<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>You couldn\u2019t figure out how to use HMRC\u2019s website<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>You made a mistake in your tax return<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Even though you registered for online filing before the deadline, you didn\u2019t get your access code in time<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>You couldn\u2019t be bothered this time<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>These are not considered valid excuses for <strong>appealing an HMRC Self Assessment penalty<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How much time do you get appealing HMRC Self Assessment penalty?&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>You must submit your appeal to HMRC within 30 days of the date you received the fine. Unless you have a serious reason for appealing late. But quite frankly, HMRC doesn\u2019t appreciate late submissions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">HMRC rejected my appeal. What now?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>You had a reason, you appealed. But it was rejected. What next?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here are your options; you can:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Appeal to the First-tier Tribunal (Tax Chamber) within 30 days of the date your appeal is rejected<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Consider alternative dispute resolution<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What if I can\u2019t pay the penalty?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>In this case, you also have options. You should:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Make a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.uk\/difficulties-paying-hmrc\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">hardship application<\/a> with HMRC<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Appeal to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.uk\/tax-tribunal\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">tribunal<\/a>: HMRC will wait for your payment during the appeal process<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Need help appealing an HMRC Self Assessment penalty?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Our team of expert accountants is ready to guide you through the appeal process. Don\u2019t stress &#8211; get in touch and we\u2019ll make sure you stay on track and avoid any pitfalls along the way. Find out more <a href=\"https:\/\/taxfix.com\/en-uk\/tax-accountant\/\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"embed-container\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Tax in 10(ish) seconds - what is a tax accountant?\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Q_RMGjH0I0k?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>If you\u2019ve received a penalty notice from HMRC, don\u2019t worry (too much) because all is not lost! In this guide, we\u2019ll walk you through the process of appealing an HMRC Self Assessment penalty, from the reasons for the fine to the steps you need to take. Why did I receive a fine from HMRC? Usually, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[436,435],"tags":[417,102],"class_list":["post-136","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-deadlines-and-penalties","category-self-assessment-basics","tag-deadlines-penalties","tag-hmrc"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Appealing an HMRC Self Assessment penalty &#8211; Taxfix<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Wondering what the process is for appealing an HMRC Self Assessment penalty? 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