File your Tax Return by 31 January or Pay the Penalty

If you still haven’t filed your Self Assessment tax return, you’ve only got until 31 January to do so, or you could face a £100 penalty for missing the deadline.

More than 9m self assessment tax returns have been issued by HMRC. However, last year around 1 in 10 people failed to send in their return by the deadline.

If you haven’t filed yet, don’t worry – there’s still time. But if you want to file online, and haven’t registered yet, you need to register by 22 January, by visiting www.hmrc.gov.uk, selecting ‘Self Assessment’ from the ‘do it online’ menu, and following the instructions. Once this is completed, to activate the service you’ll need a PIN, which will be sent through the post within 7 days.

You can see how easy online filing is, by downloading HMRC’s new ‘Introduction to SA Online’ video podcast from the HMRC website at www.hmrc.gov.uk/podcasts.

If you need any help with your return, you should visit the self assessment pages on the HMRC website at hmrc.gov.uk/sa. Or call the self assessment helpline on 0845 9000 444, which is open seven days a week between 8.00am and 8.00pm.