How to manage someone's tax account online as Power of Attorney

Thank you. I will try the online chat and/or send a letter with the tax return I am about to submit. But my original post was not only about my own experience but about the whole way HMRC deals with Attorneys. This is an issue which is only going to increase with our aging population, so HMRC really needs to have systems that cope. And it should be realised that many Attorneys are themselves elderly - for instance I am 72 and dealing with my 97 year old mother's affairs. We really do not need the added stress that HMRC currently causes. I am tempted to write to my MP about this (only it would take more time that I currently don't have). I hope HMRC will take on board the need for improvement.

Following the above, I posted a comment which straightforwardly, and without any offence, sought an answer to why those of us with POA are unable to persuade HMRC to resolve our common problem. It was deleted by the Moderator. I will be very interested to see if the present comment is approved, in which case, my question remains the same.

So my question was, are those of us who act as attorneys able to manage our donor's tax and pension affairs on-line? If not, can HMRC please admit as much, and set up its systems to enable us to do so?

Hi,
For assistance please contact the online helpdesk:
Technical support with HMRC online services
Thank you

The link to technical support is broken. But I’m not sure it’s technical support that’s needed. More a ‘how to” guide. We can’t sign in as ourself as there would be nothing to distinguish our own tax from the tax of the donor whose affairs we are managing. So we must need to sign in as if we are the donor themselves? But in that case we are back to people’s questions about how to identify the donor. (I have in fact managed to get online to my mother’s account but I am just trying to help HMRC understand why it is confusing for people, Apologies to Peter Stott if this is not what he was asking.)

I have been reading through and note some have had issues with getting LPA registered with HMRC. I have just successfully managed to do this (without sending original / certified copy) as follows. 1) create an account with the OPG 2) From account, generate a OPG access code for Financial LPA 3) Tel HMRC on 0300 200 3300. 4) Provide NI number for individual you hold LPA for 5) Provide OPG access code. Advised it can take 72 hours to become active on the system. Advised next steps (post 72 hours when HMRC system has updated), I need to set up a CGT account. Advised any specific questions re how to answer to call through, on above number, ask for Tech Team re CGT. If I have any issues with next stages, I shall report back on here.

I can't see any answers here to the problem that a number of people have raised. I have tried phoning and chatbotting without success. I have LPA for my brother's finance and property affairs and need to complete his self-assessment as he is now in a nursing home. I have the access code for HMRC to see that this is all kosher but I can't find anyway of being able to log in and complete his self-assessment unless I impersonate him and borrow his phone to confirm the identification process. Obviously, I don't want to do that so I hope HMRC can give me a legal means to log in on his behalf.

Hi Elizabeth,
For assistance please contact my colleagues on the Online Helpdesk Technical support with HMRC online services
Thank you.

HMRC please stop fobbing people off with links to technical support. The questions being raised are not technical but legal. We know how to use online services ourselves. The questions relate to how to do so on someone else’s behalf without having to pretend to be that other person. Please engage with the actual questions people are asking. Given that so many people ask the same questions surely you should realise that the answers are not obvious.

I’m trying to complete a tax return for my father and have consulted a tax accountant to help me as I have no experience of this process. I have contacted HMRC and given them the POA access key so correspondence will now be sent to me. So far the accountant has not been able to access my father’s online account as although he has the UTR a postcode is also required. My post code doesn’t work. My father failed to inform HMRC of his new care home address so that probably won’t work either. As snd when I make some progress I will post again.

Hi ,
 

As your query is regarding using the online service then it would be the Online Helpdesk that can assist you See:   Technical support with HMRC online services    .  Thank you .

I have now signed an HMRC form for my accountant giving him permission to access my father’s account. Will update on progress.

Just about to start this process.
First question:
do I fill in form SA1 as myself or as my mother?
I am unable to find an answer to this question online.
Do I need to create a government gateway account in my mother's name?

HI Andrew McCann
HMRC has established procedures to assist with cases like yourself through: Appoint someone to deal with HMRC on your behalf and Get help from HMRC if you need extra support: Help you can get.
Thereafter payments in respect of outstanding sums via a self assessment return can be made online.
Guidance on how to pay are available at: Pay your Self Assessment tax bill: Overview including the option to pay online and check your payment has been received.
You can pay online through the Government Gateway User ID and password or alternatively without using that option.
Thank you
 

I'm almost pleased to find there are others struggling with completing the tax return on behalf of others. I tried to set up and complete an online return for my father as he wasn't able to complete the paper form himself prior to the October deadline due to illness and memory issues. He has always completed this quite happily and I've not needed to be involved. However having now tried to gather the relevant information there are details missing which means I haven't been able to set up and match details correctly his online account. Trying to scan his driving licence as a form of ID - not recognised !! Have spent several hours on the phone being redirected between tax offices, without success to speak to someone to just give me some guidance on how to rectify this. I have now got the activation code for the LPA, however it looks like I need to send this off (from your comments above, I'm worried that this won't bring any helpful outcome). A very frustrating situation, and others have mentioned, exceedingly crazy expectations for people who are not likely to either have the appropriate identification documents, or the interest/ability to do this online. I'm fortunately quite capable of doing things online, but unfortunately I have a fulltime job which is all consuming currently, which means trying to contact the tax office during their opening hours is very difficult. My father is also not local to me, so when I was able to speak to someone and they asked the question 'is your father with you ....' umm, no, sadly not possible due to his / my location! I shall continue with the mission to try to suss out what my father owes, looking at the information from last year .... could potentially be a grand total of £2.50.

I'm also struggling here, trying to get my POA registered for my mum (in a care home, with dementia), with the added stress of her being in England and me being in Australia. So far I've been trying for 2 months, since they sent me an email saying she owed money, but I had no means to see how much or pay it. Fortunately after some time they sent a collections letter to my mother in the care home, which the manager forwarded to me. HMRC refused to take the online access code for the POA, despite being another UK govt department. So I sent the POA registered mail from Australia with a covering letter. They have confirmed they've received it, but they've not yet added me on as her attorney. Not sure what takes so long. In January I was advised to wait a few more weeks and call back (there was a 2 hour wait time just to find that out). So I waited another 4 weeks, called the tech support line as instructed by the previous person (wait time there), explained everything, only to be told my POA hadn't been added yet, and to call the main HMRC line (I'm on hold now, might be another couple of hours). This is ridiculously stressful. If anyone manages to navigate this successfully, please let us all know how. Because it feels like I'm stuck in a loop. I guess the only consolation is if mum fails to pay her tax as a result of this, the bailiffs might only get some incontinence pads and a toothbrush,