Tag: Self Assessment deadline 31 January

Self Assessment: Millions still to file with seven days to go

ONE WEEK left to file your Self Assessment 

  • Eight days until 31 January Self Assessment deadline
  • Miss the deadline and you may face an automatic £100 penalty
  • File your return now at GOV.UK and pay any tax due by 31 January – help and support available online

With just a week until the Self Assessment deadline, 8.6 million people have already filed their return for the 2024 to 2025 tax year.

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is urging taxpayers and agents who haven’t filed, to act now or risk missing the 31 January deadline – and face an automatic £100 penalty.

More than 11.5 million customers successfully filed by the deadline last year and HMRC wants to help the 3.3 million still outstanding this time around to do the same.

Those who haven’t started can find help and support at GOV.UK, including guidance, webinars and YouTube videos. HMRC’s online services are available around the clock.

Once a return is submitted, the quickest and easiest way to pay any tax owed is via the free HMRC app, which takes less than a minute. A full list of payment options is available on GOV.UK.

Myrtle Lloyd, HMRC’s Chief Customer Officer, said: “Don’t leave it until deadline day. Filing now will give you peace of mind that your tax return is completed and if you have tax to pay, you have a week to arrange payment.

“If you’re worried about paying your tax bill, you may be able to set up a payment plan online – search ‘difficulties paying HMRC’ on GOV.UK.”

This year’s deadline falls on a Saturday. Customers who need to speak to an adviser can call HMRC’s phone lines, which are open Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm.

Phone lines close on Friday 30 January and reopen on Monday 2 February – after the deadline. For full phone support, contact HMRC before Friday 30 January.

On Saturday 31 January, HMRC will offer webchat support through its Online Services Helpdesk.

The penalties for late tax returns are:

  • an initial £100 fixed penalty, which applies even if there is no tax to pay, or if the tax due is paid on time 
  • after 3 months, additional daily penalties of £10 per day, up to a maximum of £900 
  • after 6 months, a further penalty of 5% of the tax due or £300, whichever is greater 
  • after 12 months, another 5% or £300 charge, whichever is greater 

There are also additional penalties for paying late. Penalties will be charged at 5% of the tax unpaid at 30 days, 6 months and 12 months. If tax remains unpaid after the deadline, interest will also be charged on the amount owed, in addition to the penalties above.

HMRC will consider customers’ reasons for missing the deadline. Those with a reasonable excuse may avoid a penalty.

Sole traders and landlords with qualifying income of more than £50,000 will be required to use Making Tax Digital (MTD) for Income Tax from 6 April 2026 and be required to submit quarterly summaries of their income and expenses to HMRC.

HMRC is urging eligible customers to act now – whether you’re signing up a client or yourself, get ahead of the curve by taking the first step and sign-up on GOV.UK to familiarise yourself with the new service and start preparing now.

Customers do not need to include their 2025 Winter Fuel Payment, or Pension Age Winter Heating payment in Scotland, on their tax return for the 2024 to 2025 tax year as payments received in Autumn 2025 will be recovered in the 2025 to 2026 tax return, due by 31 January 2027.Customers should be alert to the risk of scams.

HMRC will never ask for personal or financial information by text or email. Check HMRC scams advice on GOV.UK.

5.4 million yet to file their tax return

  • Almost 25,000 taxpayers ‘celebrated’ the New Year by filing their Self Assessment tax return
  • If customers miss the 31 January deadline, they could face a penalty

With less than a month to go, the countdown is on for 5.4 million customers who still need to complete and pay their Self Assessment and avoid penalties, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) warns.

Thousands of taxpayers have already done so by completing their tax returns before the fizz was barely flat on New Year’s Day. HMRC can today reveal more than 24,800 people filed on 1 January. A further 38,000 had even squeezed theirs in before the bells on 31 December, with 310 filing between 23:00 and 23:59.

Filing your tax return and paying on time plays an important role in supporting public services and the government’s Plan for Change, which is delivering economic stability and investment across the UK. Anyone who is yet to file their tax return can do so online, via GOV.UK.

Anyone required to file a tax return for the 2023 to 2024 tax year who misses the 31 January 2025 deadline could face an initial late filing penalty of £100.

Myrtle Lloyd, HMRC’s Director General for Customer Services, said: “We know completing your tax return isn’t the most exciting item on your New Year to-do list, but it’s important to file and pay on time to avoid penalties or being charged interest.

“The quickest and easiest way to complete your tax return and pay any tax owed is to use HMRC’s online services – go to GOV.UK and search ‘Self Assessment’ to get started now.”

Some 97% of customers now file online and one benefit is that they don’t have to complete it all in one go – they can save what they have done and pick it up again later.

Once a tax return is filed, payments can also be made quickly and securely through the HMRC app. Customers can set up notifications in the app to remind them when payments are due, so they don’t need to worry about missing deadlines or penalties. 

Information about the different ways to pay, can be found on GOV.UK.

HMRC has a wide range of resources online including a series of video tutorials on YouTube, help and support on GOV.UK, to support customers in completing their tax return.

For people who can’t meet the tax return deadline, HMRC will treat those with reasonable excuses fairly if they tell us before 31 January.

The penalties for late tax returns are:

  • an initial £100 fixed penalty, which applies even if there is no tax to pay, or if the tax due is paid on time
  • after 3 months, additional daily penalties of £10 per day, up to a maximum of £900
  • after 6 months, a further penalty of 5% of the tax due or £300, whichever is greater
  • after 12 months, another 5% or £300 charge, whichever is greater

There are also additional penalties for paying late of 5% of the tax unpaid at 30 days, 6 months and 12 months. If tax remains unpaid after the deadline, interest will also be charged on the amount owed, in addition to the penalties above.

If someone regularly sells goods or provides services through an online platform, they may need to pay tax on their income. Customers can find out more about selling online and paying taxes on GOV.UK by searching ‘online platform income’ or by downloading the HMRC app.

The guidance will help them decide if their activity should be treated as a trade and if they need to complete a Self Assessment tax return.

You also may need to file a return if you:

  • are newly self-employed and have earned gross income over £1,000
  • earned below £1,000 but wish to pay Class 2 National Insurance Contributions voluntarily to protect your entitlement to State Pension and certain benefits
  • are a new partner in a business partnership
  • have received any untaxed income over £2,500
  • receive Child Benefit payments and need to pay the High Income Child Benefit Charge because you or your partner earned more than £50,000

Criminals use emails, phone calls and texts to try to steal information and money from taxpayers. Before sharing personal or financial details, people should search ‘HMRC tax scams’ on GOV.UK to access a checklist and help decide if the contact received is a scam.

On your marks – less than 100 days to file Self Assessment 

  • People have until 31 January deadline to file their Self Assessment tax return and pay tax owed 
  • Self Assessment customers urged to prepare and file their tax return early

The countdown clock has begun as HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) reminds customers they have 100 days to file and pay their Self Assessment tax return before the 31 January deadline.

Anyone who is yet to start, can access information and guidance on GOV.UK to help them complete their tax return.

More than 3.5 million have already beaten the clock and submitted their returns. HMRC is reminding others that starting their Self Assessment early means they are more likely to complete an accurate tax return, avoid any last-minute panic plus they will know what they owe sooner and can budget.

Myrtle Lloyd, HMRC’s Director General for Customer Services, said: “The countdown to the Self Assessment deadline has begun but there is still time to thoroughly prepare and file an accurate tax return by 31 January.

You can access online help and support to help you file. Search ‘help with Self Assessment’ on GOV.UK to find out more.”

More than 12 million people need to file a tax return for the 2023 to 2024 tax year and pay any tax owed by the 31 January 2025 deadline. 

HMRC has produced a series of  YouTube videos to help people complete their return and a step-by-step guide to check what customers need to do to file their first tax return.   

Customers who are unsure if they need to file a tax return can visit GOV.UK to check if they need to send a Self Assessment tax return. 

Anyone who is new to Self Assessment needs to register to receive their Unique Taxpayer Reference before they can send a tax return for the 2023 to 2024 tax year.

People who no longer need to file a tax return should tell HMRC as soon as possible to avoid any penalties. HMRC has produced 2 videos explaining how customers can go online and stop Self Assessment if they are self-employed and those who are not self-employed. 

HMRC recommends that anyone who regularly sell goods or provides a service through an online platform to find out more about selling online and paying taxes. The information on GOV.UK will help them decide if their activity should be treated as a trade and if they need to complete a Self Assessment tax return.

Criminals use emails, phone calls and texts to try to steal information and money from taxpayers. Before sharing their personal or financial details, people should search ‘HMRC tax scams’ on GOV.UK to access a checklist to help them decide if the contact they have received is a scam

People should never share their HMRC login information with anyone. Someone could use them to steal from them or claim benefits or a refund in their name.