I think I deserve a medal!

I retired (ha! Ha!) a couple of years ago and then was asked to do a few hours work for DD1 which I did happily. So. . . . Enter the dreaded self assessment. I'm proud to say I did it all by myself and online too. Immdiately paid the £100 odd I owed-am I smug!.
Last year because we had moved some savings and only earned diddly squat interest, tax was reduced to under £20. Am expecting the bailiffs any time as you all say cos I'm small fry never mind the millions that are not paid.
A friend of ours, single lady works as a carer, lives hand to mouth was pursued by HMRC for £300-odd tax owing because someone had misapplied her tax code at one of the two jobs she had to have. On her behalf I gave it 'em both barrels but in the end got our MP involved who got it written off on grounds of exceptional hardship-which it genuinely was!

I have to confess that DH and I use an accountant - but a substantial amount of our pension comes from Switzerland, so it's a nightmare trying to work the tax out by yourself. We became very wary just after we moved back here when we got a threatening letter from HMRC implying that we had hidden money because we had a Swiss bank account (of course because we were both working and living in Switzerland!) and telling us that we had to pay some astronomical sum as a fine. Luckily DH is an obsessive record keeper and we managed to sort it all out and prove that we had been completely open. As you say Charleygirl they pick on the small fry they think they can frighten into paying and leave the ones who are raking it in!
However, we did do self-assessment while we lived in Switzerland, as do almost all Swiss (or did), and I'm proud to say that we had to do it all in German(!) which is even more fun

But even if they caught me it would make no difference as I would still be below the tax threshold.

But I do know what you mean. The first time I did the self-assessment form, I filled it in very carefully and then got a very threatening letter from them saying that I had not declared all my pension. It was a pure mistake as I had just looked up the amount of RP per month and multiplied by 12; but of course RP is paid weekly so I had declared a tiny bit under on my income. I was furious at the tone of the letter - it was an obvious mistake and in fact made no difference to the amount of tax I paid. As you say, there are people out there getting away with millions and doing so deliberately. I was not pleased!

I know the feeling but you can guarantee that you will be caught because you are small fry and easily caught whereas the big monsters are out there spending their tax fee millions.

I have asked for my tax to be automatically taken from my pension in the future so I will not have the joy of filling in the blessed thing. But I am likely to be asked to do the same job for a few months in 2018, and the same problem will arise again. I will have to re-register as self-employed just to declare this, knowing once again that it will not take me over the personal allowance limit. It is very tempting just not to bother quite honestly!

After I stopped working full time around 12 years ago I had 3 part time jobs, all casual but obviously I had to pay the tax man as with two of the jobs I was self employed. I was so lucky having a neighour who was an accountant, specialising in tax and for free she did mine for around 4-5 years. Even she made a mistake once so it happens to those with more knowledge than certainly myself.

I do hope that you are paid swiftly and can treat yourself. Nice not to be paying out all of the time for once.

Well done! Although I consider myself to be reasonably intelligent when confronted by a bunch of numbers my eyes glaze over! I am fortunate enough to have an accountant friend who does my return for me and up until now has always been able to claim back more than he charges!

Well done , Lucky girl.
Buy yourself something nice (probably not a medal) with your £10.30.

Well done! Getting money out of the Tax bods is a feat in itself!