Self Assessment:Trustees and Personal Representatives

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How does Self Assessment affect me?

The general principles of Self Assessment are the same for everybody. But the different sorts of income and gains you have affect which supplementary pages of the Tax Return you need to complete.

Trustees and people managing the tax affairs of deceased persons get their own Self Assessment Tax Return, and supplementary pages are available for certain kinds of income of the trust or estate.

Further details on who will receive a Self Assessment Tax Return can be found in the new guidelines for Self Assessment Tax Returns

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What records should I keep?

Everyone who pays tax should, at some stage, receive a record of the tax they have paid. From April 1996, the law will require you to keep those records and other records so that you can complete a Tax Return fully and accurately if you are asked to do so.

Details of records you should keep can be found in SA/BK 4 - Self Assessment - A general guide to keeping records

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How do I complete and send back my Tax Return?

Trustees and Personal Representatives need to complete:

  • the core Trust and Estate Tax Return (SA900)
  • any other supplementary page which apply to you e.g. Capital Gains, Land & Property etc. Please refer to page 2 of the Tax Return.

Your Self Assessment Tax Return pack includes a step-by-step guide on how to complete each section of your return together with a guide on how to calculate your own tax if you want to.

Note: You will not be sent the Tax Return Guide (SA950) and Tax Calculation (SA951) if you send in your return online or your agent/tax adviser sends in your return. However these guides can be viewed and/or downloaded from this website - see below.

General information on completing and sending back your Tax Return

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Can I send back my Trust and Estate Tax Return over the internet?

Yes, you can now send back your Trust and Estate Tax Return over the internet using third party software. To register for Self Assessment Online for Trusts go to our Online Services pages.

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How and when do I pay my tax?

You will need to pay any tax due by 31 January after the end of the tax year covered by the return.

You may also have to make two payments on account for the tax year before the return for that year is due.

Payments on account will be made on:

  • 31 January in the tax year and
  • 31 July after the end of the tax year (six months later).

If these two payments amount to more or less than the tax which actually becomes due for that tax year, then a balancing payment (or repayment) will be due on the following 31 January.

How much will you pay on account?

If you calculate your own tax, you will also calculate your own payments on account. Each payment on account will be one half of the income tax bill for the previous year after deducting tax paid at source.

If we calculate your tax for you, we will also tell you if you have to make payments on account and how much to pay.

You will not need to make payments on account:

  • if your income tax bill for the previous year was less than £500 (this limit will be increased to £1000 from 2009/10)
  • more than 80 per cent of your income tax for the previous year was paid by deduction at source
  • for Capital Gains Tax.

In some circumstances, you can ask to reduce your payments on account. The Tax Return Calculation Guide will tell you when you can do this.

Option for payment

There are a number of different options available for paying your tax. For details visit the Payments pages.

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