SA800 Partnership Tax Return: what the nominated partner files

Who needs it

• The nominated partner of a business partnership, who is responsible for managing the partnership's tax returns and keeping its records.
• Partnerships with only trading or professional income and taxed interest: the SA800 on its own, plus the partnership statement.
• Partnerships with property, foreign, investment income or chargeable gains: the SA800 plus the matching supplementary pages.

What you need before you start

• The partnership's tax reference and each partner's details.
• The partnership's accounts for the period: income, expenses and capital allowances.
• How profits are shared between the partners, for the partnership statement.
• Records of any other partnership income, such as property income or gains, for the supplementary pages.

How to file SA800

1. 1Register the partnership with HMRC if you're the nominated partner. Each partner also registers on form SA401.
2. 2Prepare the partnership accounts and agree how profits are shared.
3. 3Complete the SA800 and any supplementary pages: SA800(PS) Partnership Statement, SA800(TP) trading and professional income, SA801 UK property, SA802 foreign, SA803 chargeable assets, SA804 savings and other income.
4. 4File online, or send the paper return by the earlier paper deadline.
5. 5Give each partner their share of the figures so they can complete SA104 on their own return.

What the SA800 covers

HMRC's SA800 is for partnerships whose only income for the return period was trading and professional income, or taxed interest and alternative finance receipts from banks and building societies. The form is eight pages with a 34-page guide.

Anything else goes on the supplementary pages HMRC lists with it: the full Partnership Statement SA800(PS), trading and professional income SA800(TP), UK property SA801, foreign SA802, disposal of chargeable assets SA803, and savings, investments and other income SA804. HMRC also publishes a helpsheet for partners who aren't UK resident.

Deadlines

The usual Self Assessment deadlines apply: 31 October after the tax year for a paper return and 31 January for an online one.

There's an exception when a partner is a limited company and the partnership's accounting date is between 1 February and 5 April. Then HMRC's deadline is nine months from the accounting date for a paper return and 12 months for an online one.

The nominated partner

When a partnership is set up, the partners choose a nominated partner, who is responsible for managing the partnership's tax returns and keeping business records. The nominated partner also registers the partnership with HMRC, while each partner registers individually. Each partner pays tax on their own share of the profits.

Common mistakes

• Treating the SA800 as each partner's return. It reports the partnership; every partner still files their own return with SA104.
• Sending the SA800 without the supplementary pages the partnership's income needs.
• Missing the company-partner deadline. If a partner is a limited company and the accounting date is between 1 February and 5 April, the deadline runs from the accounting date instead.
• Leaving it to the deadline so partners can't complete their own returns in time.