GodJesus1000

Thanks - can you clarify what you mean by not needing a tax return but needing to declare the income? Would not declaring it require doing a return? As it stands, I am getting under £10,000 in income from a pension, and my total income in the year is less than £50,000. The HRMC tool says I don't need to file a return. However, if I say "Yes" to Q6 "Did you get more than £10,000 from dividends or savings and investments?" I need to to know if they mean dividends or savings that were paid inside a pension.

I note that https://www.gov.uk/check-if-you-need-tax-return (Check if you need to send a Self Assessment tax return) says: "Income from savings and investments includes savings interest - except for interest from Individual Savings Accounts (ISAs)" I am currently receiving approximatey £9,000 per year from a private pension under UFPLS. That income is from a cash balance inside the pension which is generated by dividends. If I took more than £10,000 income in this way, do I then need to declare those dividends? As it stands, I believe I do not need to make SA returns otherwise since my total taxable income is below £1,000.

I have been helping my mother file her self-assessment after her tax adviser retired, I myself only have experience of PAYE, and I am a little confused about SE. I think I have two questions: 1. Is it better to wait until the tax bill (apparently in the form of two payments on account) comes in? I ask because she paid almost immediately on line, then it said she had overpaid (by a sum substantially more than the amount she had just paid) but also had a bill for two payments on account (so settling the amount for the first payment only involved a small amount which she has now done). 2.Can she ask HMRC not to bill her using payments on account (that is, just pay what is due once she has done the return)? It would be much easier for us to just file the return for the year just gone and pay it.