Eight days left to file your Self Assessment
23 Jan 2026 11:54 AM
Time is running out for the millions of taxpayers yet to file their Self Assessment tax return.
- Eight days until 31 January Self Assessment deadline.
- Miss the deadline and you may face an automatic £100 penalty.
- File your return now at GOV.UK and pay any tax due by 31 January – help and support available online.
With just over a week until the Self Assessment deadline, 8.6 million people have already filed their return for the 2024 to 2025 tax year.
HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is urging taxpayers and agents who haven’t filed, to act now or risk missing the 31 January deadline – and face an automatic £100 penalty.
More than 11.5 million customers successfully filed by the deadline last year and HMRC wants to help the 3.3 million still outstanding this time around to do the same.
Those who haven’t started can find help and support at GOV.UK, including guidance, webinars and YouTube videos. HMRC’s online services are available around the clock.
Once a return is submitted, the quickest and easiest way to pay any tax owed is via the free HMRC app, which takes less than a minute. A full list of payment options is available on GOV.UK.
Myrtle Lloyd, HMRC’s Chief Customer Officer, said:
Don’t leave it until deadline day. Filing now will give you peace of mind that your tax return is completed and if you have tax to pay, you have a week to arrange payment.
If you’re worried about paying your tax bill, you may be able to set up a payment plan online – search ‘difficulties paying HMRC’ on GOV.UK.
This year’s deadline falls on a Saturday. Customers who need to speak to an adviser can call HMRC’s phone lines, which are open Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm. Phone lines close on Friday 30 January and reopen on Monday 2 February – after the deadline. For full phone support, contact HMRC before Friday 30 January. On Saturday 31 January, HMRC will offer webchat support through its Online Services Helpdesk.
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. Penalties will be charged at 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.
HMRC will consider customers’ reasons for missing the deadline. Those with a reasonable excuse may avoid a penalty.
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 you’re signing up a client or yourself, get ahead of the curve by taking the first step and sign-up on GOV.UK to familiarise yourself with the new service and start preparing now.
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.
Customers should be alert to the risk of scams. HMRC will never ask for personal or financial information by text or email. Check HMRC scams advice on GOV.UK.
Further information
More information on Self Assessment
More than 97% of Self Assessment returns are filed online. HMRC’s online service is available all year round.
Help available online includes:
Capital Gains Tax rates for disposals of assets on or after 30 October 2024 have changed and the Self Assessment tax return will not automatically calculate at the new main rates for the 2024 to 2025 tax year. Taxpayers may need to work out an adjustment to the tax automatically calculated and can use the adjustment calculator on GOV.UK.
The new High Income Child Benefit Charge (HICBC) PAYE digital service means thousands of Child Benefit claimants who are only in Self Assessment to pay HICBC can choose to pay the charge back through their tax code. Eligible customers can call HMRC to stop Self Assessment before the filing deadline in a tax year. 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 unable to pay in full by 31 January may be able to set up a Time to Pay arrangement online if they owe less than £30,000 and meet all relevant criteria.