
Tax Year Overview and SA302 Explained
If you’ve recently applied for a mortgage, you likely have been requested to provide documents like SA302 and a tax year overview to verify your self-employed income. If you’re unfamiliar with these terms, refer to the table of contents below for clarification.
What is a tax year overview?
In the United Kingdom, a Tax Year Overview is a summary document provided by HMRC system that outlines an individual’s income, tax contributions, and other relevant financial information for a given tax year.
The Tax Year Overview is generated by HMRC once the individual has completed and submitted their self-assessment tax return, detailing the amount owed directly to HMRC or any eligible refund for the specified tax year.
This document typically covers the period from April 6th of one year to April 5th of the following year, which constitutes the UK tax year. The Tax Year Overview is important for individuals to review and verify their income details, tax deductions, and tax calculations, ensuring accuracy in their financial records and compliance with tax regulations.
It serves as a useful reference for understanding one’s tax position and may be required for various purposes, such as filing a self-assessment tax return or providing proof of income to mortgage lenders or other organizations.
The tax year overview will support SA302 as proof of your income. If your accountant uses commercial software to process your tax assessment details, SA302 won’t be available on the HMRC website.
Mortgage brokers will practically always need these two documents as evidence of your earnings.
What is a SA302?
SA302 is a document issued by HMRC portal. It is primarily associated with the self-employed people.
Here are some key points about the SA302:
Tax Calculation Summary: The SA302 provides a breakdown of the individual’s total income, allowable expenses, tax reliefs, and the resulting tax liability for a particular tax year. It is more detailed proof of earnings compared to the tax year overview.
Verification of Income: Many lenders, such as mortgage providers, may request the SA302 as proof of income when individuals submit their mortgage application. It helps verify the financial standing of the individual.
Self Assessment Tax Returns: The information in the SA302 is derived from the individual’s Self Assessment tax return, which is typically filed by individuals who have income not covered by Pay As You Earn (PAYE), such as self-employed individuals or those with additional income sources.
Official Confirmation: The SA302 serves as an official confirmation of the individual’s income and tax details as per HMRC records.
Online Access: In recent years, HMRC has moved towards digital services. Individuals may view self assessment return for a given calendar tax year online through their HMRC account.
How to access tax year overview and SA302?
Firstly, you have to submit your self-assessment tax return.
Once this is completed, you can access SA302 for the last 4 years and your tax year overview for any given year.
You have the option to print these documents using two methods.
- Commercial software
If you or your tax agent utilize commercial software for your HMRC tax return, you will need to employ that software to print your tax calculation. The specific term for this function in the software will vary per your provider.
Contact the vendor if you are struggling to find an online document.
- HMRC online services
Login to your online account using government gateway credentials.
Navigate to ‘Self Assessment’ followed by ‘More details about your Self Assessment returns and payments’.
You can only access proof of your earnings via HMRC’s online services if your accountant doesn’t use a third-party software.
What does a tax year overview look like?
The online document will contain information about the amount of tax paid, any surcharges and penalties in an annual accounting period.

As always, remember to seek appropriate professional advice as well as legal advice when buying a property. This especially applied to first time buyers
Seeking mortgage advice will most likely result in potential savings by helping you secure a loan with favorable terms and interest rates.
If you’re self-employed and pay yourself dividends, check out this post where I outline tax and national insurance rules.

