HMRC penalties escalate over time. A £100 fine becomes £900+ after 6 months.
Tell us what happened in your own words. We'll work out the penalty type, cross-reference HMRC's reasonable excuse guidelines, and tell you your chances — completely free.
Yes. If you have a reasonable excuse for missing a tax deadline you can appeal within 30 days of the penalty notice. Common reasonable excuses include illness, bereavement, IT failure, and HMRC's own errors.
HMRC accepts: serious illness, bereavement, fire or flood, computer failure, postal delays, HMRC errors, and mental health conditions. They do NOT accept 'I forgot', 'I was too busy', or 'I didn't know about the deadline'.
You have 30 days from the date on the penalty notice. Late appeals are possible if you explain the delay, but acting quickly is always better. Penalties escalate -- a £100 penalty can become £1,600+ if ignored.
Yes, completely free. The checker assesses your case against HMRC's reasonable excuse guidelines. You only pay £19.99 if you want the full appeal letter generated with specific legislation and case law references.
You can request a statutory review by a different HMRC officer, or appeal to the First-tier Tribunal (Tax Chamber) which is free and independent of HMRC. TaxFlip explains the escalation process.