Preparing your tax returns as an investor

Completing a tax return isn’t an especially pleasant prospect for anyone – and as the end of January deadline is fast approaching, it can become quite a stressful experience, as you rush to finish everything in only a few short days. Investors can find it especially trying – filling out your tax return as an investor requires significant reflection on your portfolio, which can be an involved and elaborate process at the best of times and with a deadline looming it’s even harder. As an investor, it’s important to complete your tax return correctly, but it’s not too late to get some help! DUA are experienced accountants in Watford and as the clock runs down, we can still help with your tax returns – but in the meantime, here are our tips for getting your tax returns sorted as an investor.

APPLY YOUR DEDUCTIONS

It’s important to use all the deductions that are available to you for tax you owe from investments and disposing of assets. You should be using the Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS)/Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme (SEIS) to reduce your tax bill – EIS gives you tax relief of 30% on up to £1,000,000 worth of investments in smaller companies, while SEIS gives you tax relief of up to 50% in investments up to £100,000 on seed investments in early stage companies. Both will also give you capital gains tax exemption on any gains you make when you dispose of the shares.

If you have a spouse who isn’t using their full personal allowance – currently £11,000 – then make sure you’re using both of your personal allowances. Remember that you won’t pay tax on a gift to your spouse or partner, so you can make the transfer without paying additional tax (although when your partner disposes of the asset, they will have to pay capital gains tax dating back to when you first acquired the asset)

If some of your investments have made a loss, you can also report it to HMRC and the loss will be deducted from the gains made in the same area in the same tax year – and remember that you can still claim a loss from as far back as four years.

USE AN ACCOUNTANT

When it comes to the tricky business of completing your tax return as an investor, there’s no replacement for a specialist accountant. Figuring out exactly what you owe can be especially complicated when you’re an investor with a diverse portfolio and consulting an accountant can become a necessity. With the tax deadline just days away, if you haven’t submitted your tax return already, you may need to consult with a professional accountant, to ensure it’s finished promptly and correctly. DUA are chartered accountants in Watford and have experience with helping investors to get through the difficult January period – so please do get in touch if you feel like you could do with some assistance.

DON’T MISS THE DEADLINE!

Given the difficult prospect of carrying out a self-assessment, it’s always tempting to leave actually completing your tax return to the last moment. However, the penalties for missing the deadline of the 31st of January can be quite strict – £100 is added to your tax bill on the 1st of February and if you still haven’t completed your tax return after three months, £10 a day is added until the six-month mark. Further penalties are applied after that, so it’s advisable to complete your tax return as soon as possible! Since it’s now just a matter of days in which to complete your tax return, you may be eyeing those penalties especially nervously – consult an accountant as soon as possible, before it’s too late.

As intimidating as the January deadline can be – and we know that as an investor, it can be especially daunting – it doesn’t have to be something to worry about. The tax deadline may be breathing down your neck – you only have a few days left to finish it – but there’s still time to complete your tax return well. With a few savvy tips, you can be sure your tax bill isn’t more than you ought to be paying. With the help of chartered accountants like DUA you’ll find that getting everything sorted for the deadline can be stress-free. So if you’d like some help with your tax return as an investor, just give us a call!