HMRC to allow multiple penalty appeals

Due to the impact of the pandemic, HMRC did not issue a late filing penalty for anyone unable to file their 2020/21 tax return by 31 January 2022, provided they did so by 28 February 2022. For those that missed the February deadline too, HMRC is accepting coronavirus-related problems as a reasonable excuse. This means that an appeal can be made to cancel the £100 late filing penalty if the return could not be filed on time due to the virus.

HMRC is also allowing authorised agents to submit bulk appeals for such cases, if the appeal is made between 9 March and 6 May 2022. Note that the facility is only available for late filing penalties for 2020/21 tax returns where the pandemic is the excuse, it cannot be used for other penalties or other excuses. In addition, appeals for clients that are administered by HMRC’s High Net Worth Unit cannot be made under this facility.

The form and further instructions can be found here.