Lee Sharpe looks at overpayment relief, which should be welcome in theory but, in practice, can be quite a slippery claim to pin down.
Readers will be aware that there is generally a ‘cooling-off period’ of about a year, during which a taxpayer can amend most aspects of their tax return. For an individual’s self-assessment, the time limit is 12 months following the statutory filing date of the return, usually 31 January following the tax year of the return (TMA 1970 s 9ZA).
So, if I discover that some expenses were omitted from my 2023/24 tax return that was filed in November 2024, I have until (31 January 2025 + 12 months) 31 January 2026 to amend my return, include those additional expenses and reduce my self-assessment liability.
Enter ‘overpayment relief’…
However, there is provision in the tax code for a taxpayer to amend
