Body & Soul0 min ago
The Inland Revenue
Answers
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For more on marking an answer as the "Best Answer", please visit our FAQ.I'm sorry your son has been struggling, but if he's old enough to be self employed and live away from home, he's surely old enough not to rely on his mother to still do everything for him. Unfortunately I don't think the Revenue will necessarily accept payment by instalments. They're even less accommodating than the banks when money is owed. I suggest you get your son to write to them, explain the situation and ask what payments they will accept. Don't do it for him. He's old enough now to take responsibility for himself. Just think what a rod for the back you are making for his future wife or partner if he thinks it's always OK to rely on somebody else to do his dirty work for him. If you really want to help him out I suppose you could loan him the money yourself if you have it, but make sure he pays it back every month and doesn't just treat you as a soft touch. Taxes are sadly a fact of life for everybody and one of the first lessons of being an adult is that you have to face up to paying them on time.
They are not exactly going to be sympathetic (not to the extent of waiving any interest, etc, due anyway) but they will accept the situation:
http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/howtopay/prob-indiv-comp.htm
Is he paying his national insurance at the same time? I thought that was quarterly but ICBW.
I had no idea that you could pay weekly with a payment book, Loosehead, and we will investigate this.
You are, of course, quite right WendyS, I shouldn't have to worry about this - he should be sorting himself out. However, I DO worry, because I don't want him to get clobbered for loads of penalties, interest etc. That doesn't help the situation, does it? He is 22, and his partner is 17, and this is the first time either of them have lived away from home and had to manage on their own. I know it's hard for them, and I want to see their business succeed - not go down the pan for want of less than �1,000. However, I am not in a position to lend him the money, unfortunately.