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HMRC have launched two new toolkits to help agents avoid common errors when filing clients’ returns.

The free toolkits cover the following taxes:

• Capital Gains Tax (land and buildings); and
• Personal and private expenditure.

The toolkits are easy to use, have been designed with the help of the agent community, and contain useful information, including:

• checklists and explanatory notes;
• links to online guidance for more detailed information; and
• examples of the most common errors and explanations on how to reduce them.

Three other toolkits are already available to help agents navigate capital gains tax for Trust and Estates, marginal small company relief and capital allowances for plant machinery. More toolkits will follow next year.  

This work forms part of HMRC’s Pre-Return Support pilot for agents. To view the toolkits, agents must join the pilot by going to the HMRC website at www.hmrc.gov.uk/prereturnpilot.

Brian Redford, Head of HMRC’s Agents and Employers Service Improvement Programme, said:

“The toolkits are based on the most common errors we see and will help agents get returns right first time, which will reduce the need for compliance checks.

“Agents are a key part of the tax system helping our customers submit complete and accurate returns. These toolkits have been designed to help them do this crucial job. No-one will be forced to use them.

“We are very grateful to the agents who have made this possible by working with HMRC every step of the way. Without their input, from an agent’s viewpoint, the toolkits would not be as user-friendly as they are.

“I would love to see more agents involved in the pilot and ask anyone interested to get in touch”.

The toolkits are part of a wider HMRC approach to improving tax compliance which is increasingly focused on help and support to ensure that returns are correct.  There is a dedicated section on the HMRC website which holds information, guidance and news specifically for agents at  www.hmrc.gov.uk/agents/news.htm.