My wife died but she is being fined by HMRC for overdue tax return

Fines piled up at £10 a day after wife’s death in May 2021. Photograph: Informat/Alamy

I recently received a letter from HM Revenue and Customs warning me the fine on my wife’s overdue tax return was increasing at £10 a day and I already owed it more than £300.

My wife died in May 2021 after a long illness. Like me, she was a methodist minister, but had to retire early due to her deteriorating health. She had two small pensions and some savings, and did not earn enough to pay tax.