Less than a month for nearly 5.7m people to meet self-assessment deadline

Nearly 5.7 million people have less than a month left to file their 2022-23 tax return.

If they miss the January 31 deadline they risk a £100 fine plus further potential penalties.

Almost 6.5 million people have already filed their returns ahead of the January 31 deadline for submitting returns and paying any tax owed, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) said.

Some 25,593 people submitted their tax returns on New Year’s Eve – while 127 people saw in 2024 by filing their returns between midnight and 0059 on January 1.

A total of 23,724 customers filed on New Year’s Day.

Figures previously released by HMRC showed that 4,757 people filed their tax returns on Christmas Day in 2023.

HMRC also recorded 8,876 returns submitted on Christmas Eve and 12,136 on Boxing Day.

Myrtle Lloyd, HMRC’s director general for customer services, said: “The clock is ticking for those customers yet to file their tax return.

“Don’t put it off, kick start the new year by sorting your self-assessment. Go to gov.uk and search ‘self assessment’ to get started start today.”

HMRC said the quickest and easiest way that customers can pay their tax bill is via its app.

Information about the different ways to pay can be found on gov.uk.

People who are unable to pay in full can access support and advice on gov.uk.

HMRC may be able to help by arranging an affordable payment plan, known as time to pay, for people who owe less than £30,000.

People can arrange this themselves online.

They can go to gov.uk and and search “HMRC payment plan” for more information.

The revenue body will consider someone’s reasons for not being able to meet the deadline.

Those who provide HMRC with a reasonable excuse may avoid a penalty.

The penalties for late tax returns include an initial £100 fixed penalty, which applies even if there is no tax to pay or if the tax is paid on time.

Further penalties could also apply, including:

– After three months, additional daily penalties of £10 per day, up to a maximum of £900, may apply.

– After six months, a further penalty of 5% of the tax due or £300, whichever is greater, could be imposed.

– After 12 months, another 5% or £300 charge, whichever is greater, may apply.

People could also end up paying interest on any tax paid late.

Taxpayers should also be aware of the risk of falling victim to scams and should never share their HMRC login details with anyone, including a tax agent, if they have one.