sakana wrote: ↑Fri Nov 17, 2023 12:49 am
I am 77, ... I am a Chartered accountant who understands UK taxation ...
I'm older, too. Locally the tax office is open a week or so earlier for older/retired folks. So instead of Feb 16th I would expect them to be open on the 8th-9th. However, a reservation for a time slot is required (via the LINE app, the tax office can be added to your contacts).
Yes, they are nice, and willing to help. But in my honest opinion, you should not go in during the normal filing times (even the early one for the older folks) expecting that they'll help you with everything. A poor use of time resources for you, for them, and for others in the queue who also want some kind of help.
As Tkydon says, it's pretty straightforward, and since you're a chartered accountant, explaining it should definitely be on the easier side, and I'd expect that you'd understand things pretty quickly.
But it would still take some explanation. Leaving aside the pension, investment income generally needs to be recorded/declared on the date that it was paid. So a dividend from XYZ company, paid quarterly (eg, paid on 3/15, 6/15, 9/15, and 12/15) needs to be laid out on a simple spreadsheet that way (as four rows), and then the UK currency needs to be converted to yen for each of those dates. Date paid, company name/ticker symbol, the conversion rate (pounds to yen), and the resulting yen amount, totaled at the bottom.
Use this site for the f/x conversion:
http://www.murc-kawasesouba.jp/fx/past_3month.php
If nothing comes back (a holiday here) back up to the next available date that a rate is given.
Use the TTM rate, not the buy, or sell, rate.
You do that for all dividends/distributions thru the calendar year, one row in the sheet for each distribution/dividend. (same for interest, but use a separate sheet since it is declared in a different place on the return here)
Sales/capital gains are just a bit more work. You need to find your average acquisition price (sometimes simple, but also can be challenging) and then via the above link convert that to yen. Which you then balance with the sale price, converted to yen on the sale date. Which will show any profit or loss. (And yes, there can be gains/losses simply due to differences in the f/x rates for when you bought and sold.)
All that isn't difficult, just some clicking around to get all the numbers down on paper.
And all that you can do before you go to the tax office--and you can even start now, doing all the rows from 01/01/2023 up to the present, and just finishing the rest of november and december just after the first of the new year.
With that in hand, then show up at the tax office, and let them help you.
*
That's a brief rundown, and really, if you're an accountant, this is pretty simple stuff. But it does take a little time, you can easily do it on your own, and once you get the hang of it, it's pretty trivial.
Also, these sheets with all the dates/transactions/currency conversions/etc get turned in with your tax return, as supporting documents. It's the totals that get put in the right places on your return. They do not need the original account statements that you've worked from, but these worksheets do go in with your return. Of course keep those original account statements if questions do come up and they ask how you have calculated something. These sheets that you turn in--pretty them up a little with headers: your full name, tax ID number, your My Number, address, phone number(s), pagination if needed and so on.
Questions?