"No-one" wrote in message
...
On Sun, 31 Aug 2003 16:51:27 +0100, Bob Minchin
wrote:

OK stretching D-I-Y a bit but it is SELF assessment!

Has anyone any suggestions for freeware tax return software. There are
progs available at cost but It is bad enough having to pay tax let alone
adding insult to injury by having to pay for the software!

I tried to use the IR online site but after registration they have to
snail mail a PIN to the applicants registered address.

Not exactly user friendly arrangement.

No, but after getting the PIN, you can fill in the form online and the
tax is calculated at the same time. You can also print out a hard
copy of the completed form.

Regards.

I used it last year (and will again this year) - worked well, no problems
(apart from saying that I owed some tax!). You can do a bit and save it,
then do more later, then submit it when all done. And I think, although
you'd need to check, that you don't have to submit it before the end of
September if you do it online.

I think the snail mail password is actually a reasonable security feature
for such an application.

Peter.

On Sun, 31 Aug 2003 16:51:27 +0100, Bob Minchin
wrote:

OK stretching D-I-Y a bit but it is SELF assessment!

Has anyone any suggestions for freeware tax return software. There are
progs available at cost but It is bad enough having to pay tax let alone
adding insult to injury by having to pay for the software!

I tried to use the IR online site but after registration they have to
snail mail a PIN to the applicants registered address.

Not exactly user friendly arrangement.

TIA

Bob

I used the Which Taxcalc software for a few years and found it quite
good when I had fairly straightforward tax affairs. Not free, but
pretty cheap and in one year it did pick up something I'd missed
making a saving that more than paid for it.

I now have a rather more complex tax situation and my accountant does
this as well as various other financial jobs for me.



..andy

To email, substitute .nospam with .gl

"Bob Minchin" wrote in message
...
OK stretching D-I-Y a bit but it is SELF assessment!

Has anyone any suggestions for freeware tax return software. There are
progs available at cost but It is bad enough having to pay tax let alone
adding insult to injury by having to pay for the software!

I tried to use the IR online site but after registration they have to
snail mail a PIN to the applicants registered address.

Not exactly user friendly arrangement.

Bob,
the 'snail mailing' of a PIN is a standard security arangement.
It is known as an 'out of band' mechanism.
i.e. if you register electronically then a non-electronic means is used to
confirm you are who you say you are (or at least live at your registered
address).
More secure that using an email address to return your PIN.
You wouldn't want someone else filling in your tax return and telling the IR
you earn £500K and please come and collect the back tax :-))
The online form works well for me.

AFAIK you will still need a PIN to electronically submit a tax return from a
third party package.

HTH
Dave R

"David W.E. Roberts" wrote in message ...
"Bob Minchin" wrote in message
...
OK stretching D-I-Y a bit but it is SELF assessment!

Has anyone any suggestions for freeware tax return software. There are
progs available at cost but It is bad enough having to pay tax let alone
adding insult to injury by having to pay for the software!

I tried to use the IR online site but after registration they have to
snail mail a PIN to the applicants registered address.

Not exactly user friendly arrangement.

The online form works well for me.

I agree - the IR site has had a load of bad press but personally I've
used it successfully for 2 years now. (Still worth manually checking
what figures it ends up spitting out though!)

David

Has anyone any suggestions for freeware tax return software. There are
progs available at cost but It is bad enough having to pay tax let alone
adding insult to injury by having to pay for the software!

Don't believe there is any, unless you earn less than the £20K allowed by
TaxCalc Lite


I tried to use the IR online site but after registration they have to
snail mail a PIN to the applicants registered address.

Not exactly user friendly arrangement.

you only have to do it once though and it works for following years


The online form works well for me.

I had a nightmare with it last year, spent hours online (only have 56K
dialup and have to be online to use it) and it absolutely refused to let me
submit the numbers, tried 2 different PC configurations, but their helpdesk
guys never got to the bottom of it over the phone. So I resorted to
downloading TaxCalc and it worked a charm. So I paid the £15 for this years
CD willingly, it gives you a headstart too by opening last years file so you
don't have to type loads in.


AFAIK you will still need a PIN to electronically submit a tax return from
a
third party package.

Correct

Ian

BigMac wrote:

Has anyone any suggestions for freeware tax return software. There are
progs available at cost but It is bad enough having to pay tax let alone
adding insult to injury by having to pay for the software!

Don't believe there is any, unless you earn less than the £20K allowed by
TaxCalc Lite

And don't forget that the cost of the software is itself deductable
as expenses.

Nick

In message , BigMac
writes
Has anyone any suggestions for freeware tax return software. There are
progs available at cost but It is bad enough having to pay tax let alone
adding insult to injury by having to pay for the software!

Don't believe there is any, unless you earn less than the £20K allowed by
TaxCalc Lite


I tried to use the IR online site but after registration they have to
snail mail a PIN to the applicants registered address.


Doesn't the IR free CD have a tax calculator on it?
--
geoff