5.4 million yet to file their tax return

Thousands of people filed their Self Assessment on New Year's Day and HMRC urges those still to complete their tax return, to do it now.

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. 

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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 to help decide if the contact received is a scam. 

Further information

More information about Self Assessment 

Filing figures for New Year: 

• 38,260 filed on New Year's Eve, the peak hour for filing was 12:00 to 12:59 when 4,331 filed their return 
• 24,828 filed on New Year's Day, the peak hour for filing was 14:00 to 14:59 when 2,603 filed their return