How to use the Ftax SA900

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If you have a suggestion to improve this guide or its associated video, please email tracey@ftax.co.uk

How to use the Ftax SA900 Trusts and Estates PDF form

This guide covers how to complete and submit the FTax SA900 Trusts and Estates PDF form 

This guide is broken down into the following steps:

1. Register the trust with HMRC
2. Login to your Ftax account and download the SA900 form
3. Complete the form including any supplementary sections
4. Attach any required PDFs
5. If necessary, generate a PDF copy for client signature
6. Submit the form and save the success email

1. Register the trust with HMRC

Firstly, the trust will need to be registered with HMRC and will have its own UTR and Government Gateway credentials. Further information on this is available via the HMRC website:

2. Login to your Ftax account and download the SA900 form

Log in to your Ftax account and download the SA900 tax form. For further information on getting started with Ftax, see the video 'Ftax Setup Checklist':

Please note that you must comply with the Special Notice. In some versions of Adobe Reader, 'Preferences' has now been moved to the menu which is accessed via the three horizontal lines in the top left corner of the screen when Adobe Reader is open.

3. Complete the form including any supplementary sections

Fill in the personal information on the front page of the form. Enter the trust's Government Gateway Username and Password, along with name, surname and UTR. The UTR can be found on your HMRC account.

If you are logged in to your Ftax account, a credit will be allocated, a popup will confirm this and a tick will appear next to the UTR.

If you are not logged in, you will be prompted to do so. You can log in anytime by clicking the red ball in the centre of the screen and selecting the bottom option:

Required information which has not been provided will be highlighted in yellow:

Use the cursor to hover over a field to see further information as to what is required:

You can adjust the size of the side bar and main window so that you can conveniently see the whole form no matter what size screen you are using:

From this:

To this:

You should now complete the main section of the tax return. HMRC provides Notes which provide further information and which are available at the top of each section:

Pay particular attention to the tick boxes in Q8 as these will affect your tax liability calculation. Please read the HMRC notes on this and tick one of 8.2, 8.4, 8.16 or choose to tick none of them. You are advised to select carefully as significant differences in your tax liability will occur depending on your choice:

As with all data entry, you must save the form regularly to ensure nothing is lost in the event of accident. To save the Ftax SA900, simply click the Save button at the bottom of the first screen and save the file in a known location:

Make sure you complete every section of the form which is relevant. To go to a supplementary section, click on the side bar to be taken directly to that section:

When you attempt to navigate to a section, a popup will offer to tick the relevant part of the summary section on page 2. Tick yes on the popup and go to the relevant section:

Note that multiple copies of most sections are available and must be completed if more than one is necessary. To complete another copy, tick the next copy button at the top of the page:

Next, you should return to the front page and click calculate. An error message will show any problems with the form. To correct an error, click Edit, make the necessary changes and submit again. You can do this as many times as necessary:

When Calculate has been successful, a brief overview will appear on the front page. In addition, a calculation overview, including the SA302, will be returned. Please note that the payments summary is an estimate. For a definitive guide as to how much tax is owed, you should wait two days after submitting the Ftax SA900 and then login to your HMRC account:

4. Attach any required PDFs

If additional information is necessary, this may be attached as a PDF. To attach a PDF, click one of the red Attach buttons on the front page of the form and select the file:

5. If necessary, generate a PDF copy for client signature

If you are an agent, you are now ready to print a paper copy or generate a PDF for your client to sign. Go back to the main page, click print/pdf and chose the relevant sections on the cascading menus. Log in to your Ftax account to download the file

6. Submit the form and save the success email

Finally, submit the form to HMRC. Click Submit, I agree and Submit now. A popup will ask you if you are making a a new or amended return. Make sure you click yes to submit a new return. If you have already submitted, have received an email confirming successful submission and now wish to make an amendment, you should click No. 

Please be aware that if you have received an error receipt, you should continue to click Yes until you receive a success receipt. An on screen receipt will confirm successful submission and then two emails will be sent, one from the Ftax servers and one from HMRC.

If you are an agent, the onscreen receipt and emails will contain an IR mark which will match the IR mark on the PDF copy of your client's return. Generating a PDF copy for your client to sign is optional but the matching IR marks on both the return and receipt provide an assurance that the return the client signed is what was submitted. 

We are very grateful to our clients for their comments and suggestions, without which these guides would not be possible.
If you have a suggestion to improve this guide or its associated video, please email tracey@ftax.co.uk