SA370

The SA370 is a form that you can use if you filed your Self Assessment tax return late and want to appeal against the late filing and payment penalties that HMRC asked you to pay. You should only file one if you believe you have a “reasonable excuse” to file or pay late.

You can download the SA370 on HMRC’s website – you’ll have to print it then send it by post.

If you were less than 3 months late in filing your tax return and just want to appeal the £100 penalty, you can just use HMRC’s online service – no need to send a SA370.

If you want to appeal a fine for submitting or paying your tax return late, you will need a reasonable excuse for HMRC. HMRC only accepts severe reasons for failing to submit or pay your tax returns on time. Some potentially acceptable reasons include:

• You or someone in your immediate family died around the tax deadline
• You were in the hospital
• The HMRC website didn’t work on that day
• The postal service  made a mistake or had a delay
• A fire, flood, or some other disaster prevented you from completing your tax return on time

It’s still essential that you submit your tax return or pay your tax bill as soon as possible, or else HMRC will not believe that you ‘did all you could’ to resolve your taxes on time. You may then be faced with heavy fines or penalties.

A late filing penalty is a fee charged by HMRC if you file your tax return late. As you might expect. The penalty varies depending on whether you’re a sole trader or whether you run a limited company.