- 97.25% of tax returns were filed online.
- 11.48 million people filed their Self Assessment tax returns
by 31 January.
- Anyone who missed the deadline should file their return and
pay any tax owed as soon as possible.
More than 11.48 million people beat the deadline and filed their
Self Assessment tax return for the 2024 to 2025 tax year by 31
January, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) can reveal.
There were 475,722 taxpayers who waited until the final day to
file their return. On the day:
- 27,456 people submitted theirs in the final hour (23:00 to
23:59)
- the busiest hour for submitting a return was 17:00 to 17:59,
when 32,982 people filed
-
HMRC advisers
handled 5,409 webchats and 10,483 calls to the helplines which,
unusually, were opened on a Saturday to provide extra support
to customers on the deadline day
More than 12 million Self Assessment customers were expected to
file a tax return and pay any tax owed for the 2024 to 2025 tax
year by 31 January. Anyone who needs to file a return and missed
the deadline should meet their tax obligations as soon as
possible, as late filing and late payment penalties are charged.
Customers can file their tax return
now and pay any tax owed via
GOV.UK. One of the quickest ways to pay is via the HMRC app. Time to Pay
arrangements are available for those who cannot pay their tax
bill in full, if they meet the relevant criteria. A full list of
payment options is available on GOV.UK.
Myrtle Lloyd, HMRC's
Chief Customer Officer, said:
Thank you to the millions of people and agents who filed their
Self Assessment tax return and paid any tax owed by 31 January.
Anyone who missed the deadline should file their return as soon
as possible, as penalties and late payment interest may be
charged. HMRC digital
channels are always the quickest and easiest way for people to
sort their tax affairs. Search ‘Self Assessment' on GOV.UK to
find out more.
The penalties for filing a tax return late 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 - 5% of the
tax unpaid at 30 days, 6 months and 12 months. Interest will also
be charged on any tax paid late.
Customers will be able to file their Self Assessment tax return
for the 2025 to 2026 tax year from 6 April 2026.
More information about Self Assessment is available
on GOV.UK.
Further Information
Self Assessment 2026 facts summary:
- 12,029,168 Self Assessment returns expected
- 11,489,825 returns received by 31 January. This includes
expected returns, voluntary returns and late registrations
- 10,957,825 expected returns received by 31
January (91.09% of returns, following adjustments)
- an estimated 1 million customers missed the deadline
- 11,173,825 returns were filed online (97.25% of returns,
following adjustments)
- 316,000 paper tax returns were filed (2.75% of returns,
following adjustments)
Voluntary returns/late registrations are an estimate based on
returns received by early January and previous filing behaviour.
These figures are indicative and may be subject to further
adjustments once all figures have been ratified.
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 they're signing up a client or
themselves, get ahead of the curve by taking the first step and
sign-up on GOV.UK to access the new service and start preparing
now.
The Winter Fuel Payment, or Pension Age Winter Heating payment in
Scotland, payments received in Autumn 2025 will be recovered in
the 2025 to 2026 tax return, due by 31 January 2027.
Anyone who believes they no longer need to complete
a tax return should notify HMRC as soon as possible.
