HMRC have provided Chartered Accountants Ireland with an update on recent press coverage about Self-Assessment (SA) daily penalty notices being sent out in error. HMRC apologise for the situation and provide the following update to help deal with any questions that may arise.

HMRC identified that nearly 12,000 people have been sent a SA daily penalty notice in error. They wish to reassure these individuals that HMRC have a note of all people involved and that this letter is incorrect – a penalty is not owed. HMRC are writing to all to apologise and explain this error. Anyone who has received a letter does not need to take any action.

Many of the 12,000 individuals who have received such a letter are among the 130,000 who have already been taken out of SA, following a cleanse of the database and HMRC's invitation to taxpayers to contact them if they felt that they shouldn't be in SA. HMRC wishes to reassure these taxpayers that they have been removed from SA.