- 5.65 million people still need to file their Self Assessment
tax return
- thousands of people celebrated the New Year by filing their
Self Assessment tax return
- 6.36 million people head into 2026 with their tax affairs in
order
Thousands of people got a head start on their 2026 resolutions by
filing their Self Assessment tax return over the New Year.
With less than a month to the 31 January deadline, 54,053
customers chose to ring in the New Year by filing their tax
return for the 2024 to 2025 tax year on New Year's Eve and New
Year's Day. The figures, show:
- 342 customers beat the bells by filing their tax return in
the last hour of 2025
- 19,789 missed their traditional New Year's Day walk or day in
front of the TV to file their tax return instead
- 3,927 people filed between 11am and 11:59am on 31 December –
the most popular time to file over the 2 days
More than 6.36 million taxpayers have submitted their tax return
so far, which leaves almost 5.65 million who still need to
complete their Self Assessment. Those who miss the deadline could
face an initial late filing penalty of £100.
Myrtle Lloyd, HMRC's
Chief Customer Officer, said:
New Year is a great time to start afresh. What better way than to
ensure your tax affairs are in order for another year than
completing your tax return. If you have yet to start, the clock
is ticking, go to GOV.UK and start today.
A wide range of online help and
support is available on GOV.UK to help people fill in and
file their tax return.
Customers can start their tax return, save it and re-visit it as
many times as they need to before they submit it. And, once
they've sent it, the bill doesn't have to be paid straight away,
but does need to be paid before the 31 January deadline.
The easiest way to pay is through the HMRC app. Customers can also
set up notifications in the app to ensure they know when payments
are due so they don't miss a deadline.
Information about different payment options
can be found on GOV.UK.
Customers who are unable to meet the tax return deadline need to
tell us before the 31 January. HMRC will treat those with
reasonable excuses fairly.
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 late payments 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.
People who complete a Self Assessment tax return to pay the High
Interest Child Benefit Charge (HICBC) can opt out
and choose to pay it through their tax code via the new PAYE digital service.
Eligible customers need to notify HMRC to stop Self Assessment
before the filing deadline. Where a tax return has already been
sent, customers can choose to stop from the following tax year.
HMRC will then amend
their tax code and they will be registered to pay HICBC through
PAYE.
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.
Self Assessment customers are at increased risk of being targeted
by criminals and should never share their HMRC login details with anyone,
including a tax agent, if they have one. HMRC scams advice is
available on GOV.UK.
Further Information
See more information about
Self Assessment.
New Year filing figures include:
- 34,264 customers filed on New Year's Eve, the most popular
time being 11:00 to 11:59 when 3,927 filed their tax return
- 19,789 customers filed on New Year's Day, the most popular
time being 16:00 to 16:59 when 1,994 filed their tax return
More than 12 million people are expected to file a Self
Assessment tax return for the 2024 to 2025 tax year.
Sole traders and landlords with a turnover above £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 and sign up to Making Tax
Digital as this is the best way to get ahead, giving you extra
time to select software and familiarise yourself with the new
service. Agents can also register their clients
via GOV.UK.
People who have sold assets such as shares after 30 October 2024
need to be aware of changed rates of Capital Gains Tax for the
disposal of assets when completing their Self Assessment tax
return as it won't automatically calculate the correct amount of
Capital Gains Tax due. Instead, they may need to work out an
adjustment to the tax automatically calculated using the adjustment calculator
on GOV.UK.
