Review and File
This tab is where the Tax Return is validated and prepared for filing, then submitted to HMRC. It is accessed via the tax return tabs.
The review & filing process follows these steps:
- Validation & Review
- Preparation for filing
- Client approval
- Submission to HMRC
- Waiting for a response from HMRC
- Results
Validation & Review
The data inputs for the Tax Return are checked against Taxfiler’s own rules and the validation rules that will be applied by HMRC. There are a large number of checks performed and these vary according to year and to return type.
Errors
If errors are found on the Tax Return then one or more messages will be shown listing the errors and, in many cases, the error will provide a link to the section where the issue has occurred. You should review each of the messages and make the necessary corrections to the Tax Return. All errors must be resolved before the Tax Return can be prepared for e-filing.
Warnings
Sometimes Taxfiler will show one or more warnings. These messages aim to highlight possible problems or potential omissions from the Tax Return. For example, if you do not enter the date of birth of a tax payer, Taxfiler will warn you that this may affect some aspects of the tax computation. You should review the warnings to make sure you are happy with the data entered. If you wish to proceed with filing, click Accept warnings and validate Tax Return for e-filing. Taxfiler will then continue checking for further validation errors.
HMRC validation checks have been completed successfully
If all validation checks are completed successfully, Taxfiler will display a message and you will be able to prepare the Tax Return for e-filing.
Preparation for filing
To prepare the Tax Return for e-filing click .
If you wish to file an amendment to a Tax Return that has already been filed, see support notes on amending a tax return
When you prepare a Tax Return for e-filing, Taxfiler will make the following changes:
- The IRmark for the Tax Return will be generated.
- The Tax Return data input screens will be locked so no further changes can be made.
- The Tax Return status will be changed to Ready for client.
Once the Tax Return is prepared and locked, it is then ready for client approval.
Client approval
After preparing the Tax Return, it may take some time for the client to approve the submission. Taxfiler will keep the Tax Return locked and prepared, ready for filing, so the preparation process does not have to be repeated. Each time you return to this screen the heading will show that the return is awaiting approval and the IRmark will be displayed.
You can view, download and print a variety of PDF documents from this page. Click a new window will open and you can select to download a document with any or all of the following contents:
- The Tax Return, stamped on each page with the IRmark.
- A Declaration form which the client can sign to approve the submission.
- The tax computation (not available for Partnership Returns).
- A Summary of Tax Due report (Individuals & Trusts only).
- Detailed data schedules (Individuals only).
These documents can be emailed, printed and sent, or if you are eligible, uploaded to IRIS Openspace to the client for approval.
Client approves the Tax Return
Once the client has approved the Tax Return for filing, click . You will be asked to confirm that the client has approved the Return, then Taxfiler will change the status of the Tax Return to Ready to file.
Unlocking the Tax Return
If there are problems with the Tax Return then the submission process must be abandoned and the Tax Return unlocked to allow further changes to be made. Click and Taxfiler will ask you to confirm that you wish to remove the IRmark and unlock the Tax Return. If you confirm the cancellation then the Tax Return will be unlocked and the Review & File process will return to the initial validation stage, and a new IRmark will be generated when you prepare the return for filing.
Submission to HMRC
When the client has approved the Tax Return it is ready to be filed.
The submission process will send the prepared Tax Return, along with any attachments, to HMRC via the Government Gateway. HMRC will then validate the Tax Return and either accept it or reject it. The validation process can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours, depending upon the status of the HMRC servers; processing is normally completed in less than a minute. You do not need to wait for the submission process to complete as it will carry on behind the scenes even if you switch to another Tax Return in Taxfiler, or you logout of Taxfiler.
To submit the Tax Return to HMRC, click . You will be asked to confirm that you wish to submit the Return, and you will also be asked to confirm the email address to which HMRC should send the filing confirmation. When you have ticked the confirmation box clicked the Tax Return will be sent to HMRC. Taxfiler will then begin waiting for a response.
Until the Tax Return is filed, you can still abandon the Tax Return by clicking .
Filing Credentials
If your Government Gateway credentials are incorrect, or if the UTR is not recognised, you are likely to receive a failure response immediately without Taxfiler having to wait.
If you are using valid agent credentials to connect to the Government Gateway, a client is not required to be on your authorised client list and you do not need to have a 64-8 in place in order to file their Tax Return using Taxfiler. However, you need to ensure that you are using the correct credentials for the type of Tax Return. Filing a CT600 requires your agent credentials to have Corporation Tax filing enabled, and filing SA returns requires your agent credentials to have the SA filing service enabled. Ensure you have set up your credentials correctly. See Online Filing Passwords.
Waiting for a response from HMRC
After Taxfiler has submitted the Tax Return to the Government Gateway, it will show a message ‘Waiting for a response from HMRC‘. This message will remain until HMRC have either accepted or rejected the Tax Return. You do not need to wait on this page, you can come back later to see if there is a response.
You will receive an email from HMRC with the response to your submission, and at that point you may wish to return to the Review & File page to confirm that Taxfiler has received and stored your electronic submission receipt.
Results
Since Taxfiler pre-validates the Tax Return and attempts to perform all the same checks that HMRC does, most submissions should result in an acceptance message from HMRC.
Tax Return has been accepted by HMRC
If successful, Taxfiler will show the text of the acceptance message from HMRC. This will be similar to the email receipt that you will have been sent. In addition, Taxfiler receives a ‘digital signature‘ from HMRC which is stored.
You can use this page to download a formatted PDF submission receipt to file or send to the client.
Taxfiler will update the status of the Tax Return to ‘Accepted by HMRC’.
Amending the Tax Return
You can amend a previously submitted Tax Return by clicking Amend this Tax Return. This will unlock the Tax Return and begin the filing process again. See notes for amending a tax return for further information
Tax Return has been rejected by HMRC
If HMRC reject the Tax Return, Taxfiler will set the status of the return to ‘Rejected by HMRC’ and the error message (or messages) from HMRC will be shown.
Usually, when HMRC reject a Tax Return, it will be because of an issue or error that Taxfiler was unable to check.
Common issues are:
- You have incorrectly entered the Government Gateway credentials, or are using the wrong credentials for the type of Tax Return.
- The Tax Return has previously been submitted and you did not tick the box to indicate that you were filing an amendment.
- Some key information is incorrect, such as a UTR that is not recognised, or a Company Registration number that does not match the one that HMRC have on file for a UTR.
If the credentials were wrong or there was some other error with the submission that was not related to the content of the Tax Return, correct the details and click Submit again to retry the submission.
For most other errors, such as not ticking for an amended submission, or an unrecognised UTR, you will need to click Remove IRmark and unlock the Tax Return, click Cancel this submission, and confirm the cancellation in order to fix the issue.