What is sa302? Tax calculation form explained.

If you’re a UK company director, or self-employed, you might be wondering: what is an SA302 tax calculation, and how is it different from a tax year account statement in the UK? Both of these documents offer an overview tax calculation from HMRC, and either - or both - may be requested, particularly if you’re arranging a business loan or mortgage.

This guide covers how to get an SA302, the difference between SA302 and a tax overview, and more.

What is the SA302 tax calculation?

The SA302 is used to provide evidence of earnings for anyone who completes a self assessment tax return in the UK¹ - if you’re a company director or a self-employed person for example. You may also need to complete a UK tax self assessment in other circumstances, such as if you’re earning an income from overseas, if you have a rental property, or if you earn 100,000 GBP or more a year².

SA302 documents are useful when you need to provide your earnings, as they contain a summary of your taxable income. This may be needed if you apply for a UK business loan or a mortgage for example, and you need to prove your income to be eligible.

What does an SA302 include?

Your SA302 is a statement of the income you earned in a particular tax year, including:

• Income from employment
• Income from expense and benefit payments
• Income from interest and dividends

It then shows the tax you paid on this income, and how it was calculated, in detail.

Difference between SA302 and tax overview

The SA302 form is different from a tax overview, but you may find that you’re asked to provide either or both documents when proving your income. A tax overview is usually a less detailed account of your tax, showing only the money paid to HMRC over a given time. This includes tax paid on income, surcharges, interest and penalties.

You may also have access to a tax overview document, which contains details of all your tax information for the year, plus some extras about how the UK government uses tax income³.

You can get your tax summary or overview online by logging into the HMRC website.

What is the difference between SA100 and SA302?

You’ll only be able to get your SA302 after you’ve successfully filed your tax self assessment - form SA100⁴.

If you’re obliged to complete a tax self assessment it’s important to know the deadlines which may vary by year and based on how you’re submitting your return. You’ll need to register to use the online system, which may then allow you to submit your return later compared to using a paper submission. Penalties apply if you’re late, though - so do double check for the tax year in question.

How to get my SA302?

The easiest way to get your SA302 is through the HMRC online service.

Here’s how to get your SA302 if you use HMRC’s online services:

1. Log in to your HMRC online account.
2. Go to Self Assessment
3. Tap on More Self Assessment details
4. Select the option to view and print your SA302

If you’ve filed your tax return using commercial software - or if your accountant has used a third party programme on your behalf - you’ll usually be able to get your SA302 that way too. However, the document you’re looking for may have different names depending on how the programme works, so you’ll need to double check your options - look for tax computation as this may be what you need, or reach out to the software provider to check how to find the details you need.

You can also always get in touch with HMRC to ask questions about your tax self assessment if you need to⁵.

Tax - particularly if you’re self-employed or earn income outside of PAYE - can be complicated, and involve a whole new vocabulary to describe the documents required. This guide covers all there is to know about the SA302, so if you’re asked to provide your own SA302 to prove your earnings, you’ll know where to start.

Sources used in this article:

1. UK Government site - SA302 information
2. UK Government site - self assessment
3. UK Government site - tax summary/overview
4. UK Government site - SA100 information
5. UK Government site - self assessment questions and contact

Sources last checked June 26, 2023.