Do not leave it in the drawer
Correspondence from Revenue Jersey generally carries a date by which they expect to hear from you. Missing it does not make the matter go quiet; it hands the initiative over. If no return has been filed, an estimated assessment can land in its place, and arguing with an estimate is much harder than filing the real thing before one is issued.
The other thing worth saying: this is more common than you think. Businesses fall behind because a bookkeeper left, or a year got away from them, or the software stopped being reconciled and nobody wanted to open it. Nobody here is going to be shocked by your file.
Work out which problem you actually have
Different tax problems need different first moves, and people routinely spend money on the wrong one. Find the row that matches what has landed on your desk.
| What you are dealing with | What is usually underneath it | Who does what |
|---|---|---|
| Returns not filed for one or more years | The figures needed to file them do not exist in usable form. | We rebuild the records and prepare the outstanding returns. |
| An assessment that looks far too high | Revenue Jersey has estimated because you did not file. | We produce the actual figures so a real return can replace the estimate. |
| A request for records or bank statements | Your affairs are being reviewed and evidence is wanted. | We assemble and organise the records into something answerable. |
| GST returns behind or wrong | Registration, coding or the 5% treatment has drifted. | We correct the coding and rebuild the return position. |
| Payroll and Social Security filings behind | Monthly employer returns have been missed. | We reconstruct the payroll records and get the filings straight. |
| A formal enquiry, appeal or dispute | The matter has moved beyond record keeping. | A qualified Jersey accountant or tax adviser leads. We supply the records. |
| You want to come forward voluntarily | Something was wrong and you would rather raise it than wait. | We prepare the underlying figures; the disclosure itself is advised on by a qualified adviser. |
What we do
- Records rebuilt from source. Bank statements, invoices and payment records turned back into a coherent set of books for the period in question.
- Outstanding returns prepared. Income tax, GST and employer filings brought up to date in the right order.
- Reconciliations that hold up. Every bank account agreed to statements, so the figures survive being questioned.
- A clear schedule of what is owed and when. Built from your own records rather than from an estimate, so you know the real position.
- Documentation pack. Workings, supporting documents and a written explanation of how each figure was arrived at.
- Working alongside your adviser. Where an accountant or tax adviser is leading, we do the record work behind them and keep it to their timetable.
- Systems fixed afterwards. The reason it went wrong gets sorted too, otherwise you are back here in two years.
What we do not do, and why that matters here
Bookkeeper.je is a bookkeeping practice. We are not a regulated tax advisory or accountancy firm, and on this page in particular it would be irresponsible to blur that. Rebuilding records, reconstructing a payroll history, preparing outstanding returns from real evidence: that is our work, and it is usually the bulk of the job by volume.
Representing you in a formal enquiry, advising on a voluntary disclosure, arguing a penalty position or handling an appeal is work for a qualified Jersey accountant or tax adviser. If your case needs that, we will say so early, and we will do the record work behind whoever leads it. That is cheaper for you than having an adviser bill their time for data entry.
We also will not quote you penalty figures, interest rates or timescales for Revenue Jersey action. Those depend on the tax, the period and your own circumstances, and the current position is published at gov.je. Anyone giving you a confident number off the top of their head has not looked.
General information only, and not tax advice. Jersey rules and rates are set each year — confirm your own position with Revenue Jersey at gov.je or with a qualified Jersey tax adviser before acting.
How we work a case
- Stage one, a straight look at it. You send the correspondence and whatever records exist. We tell you what the real scope is, what is missing, and whether you need an adviser as well as us. Free, and confidential either way.
- Stage two, rebuild. Bank statements and source documents back into books, period by period, oldest first. This is the slow part and the part everything else depends on.
- Stage three, prepare. Outstanding returns and schedules produced from the rebuilt records, with the workings documented so each figure can be traced.
- Stage four, hand over or file. Filed where filing is what is needed, or handed to your adviser as a complete evidenced pack where they are leading the response.
- Stage five, stop it recurring. Whatever failed originally gets fixed, usually by moving the books onto a monthly rhythm so nothing accumulates in silence again.
Signs you should deal with this now
- A return is outstanding and you do not have the figures to file it.
- An assessment has arrived that bears no relation to what the business actually earned.
- Records have been requested and yours are in a shoebox, a shoebox-equivalent spreadsheet, or nowhere.
- GST or employer filings have been missed and you are not sure how many.
- You know something in a past return was wrong and you have been sitting on it.
- Your accountant has stopped being able to act because the underlying bookkeeping does not exist.
Where to start
Send us what you have got. The letter, the years involved, the state of the records, and what you think went wrong. You do not need to have it organised, and you do not need to have an explanation ready. We will read it and come back with a scope, a fixed fee for the record work, and an honest view on whether you also need a qualified adviser.
Send us the details and get a fixed-fee scope. One business day for a reply. Nothing you send goes anywhere else, whether or not you go ahead.
Common questions
I have had a letter from Revenue Jersey. What should I do first?
Read it properly and note any date it gives you. Then work out whether it wants a return, a payment, records or an explanation, because those need different responses. Where the real obstacle is that your records cannot support an answer, that is the part we fix.
Can you deal with Revenue Jersey on my behalf?
We prepare the records and figures behind a response and work alongside your accountant or tax adviser. Formal representation in an enquiry or appeal is work for a qualified Jersey accountant or tax adviser, and we will say so rather than take it on.
How far back do I need records for?
Jersey businesses keep records for six years, so that is the realistic horizon. We scope against what has actually been asked for, then rebuild that period from bank statements and source documents where the original bookkeeping is missing.
What will penalties and interest come to?
We will not guess at that. Penalties and interest depend on the tax, the period and your circumstances, and the current position is published by Revenue Jersey at gov.je. What we can influence is the quality of the figures you put in front of them.
Where we work
Across all twelve Jersey parishes: St. Helier, St. Saviour, St. Clement, Grouville, St. Martin, Trinity, St. John, St. Mary, St. Ouen, St. Peter, St. Brelade and St. Lawrence. Records can be sent securely online, so nothing about this requires you to carry a box of paperwork into town.