11.5 million file Self Assessment by 31 January deadline

GOV.UK summary: Millions of taxpayers filed their Self Assessment tax return for the 2023 to 2024 tax year by the deadline.

• More than 11.5 million taxpayers filed their Self Assessment tax return by midnight on 31 January.
• 97.36% of tax returns were filed online.
• 90.53% of expected filers filed their Self Assessment.

More than 11.5 million taxpayers beat the Self Assessment deadline to file their tax return for the 2023 to 2024 tax year by 31 January and avoid a £100 late filing penalty, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) can reveal.

The number of people who filed their return on deadline day was 732,498, with the most common time being 16:00 to 16:59 when 58,517 people filed. Thousands left submitting their return until the very last minute when 31,442 filed between 23:00 and 23:59.

HMRC is urging anyone who has missed the deadline to file their tax return now and pay any tax owed. One of the quickest ways to pay is via the free and secure HMRC app. Time to Pay arrangements are available for those who cannot pay their tax bill in full. Late filing and late payment penalties are charged for failure to meet the deadline.

Myrtle Lloyd, HMRC’s Director General for Customer Services, 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. I’m urging anyone who missed the deadline, to submit their return as soon as possible to avoid any further penalties. 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.

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.

Notes to Editors

1. Self Assessment 2025 facts summary:

• 12,026,540 Self Assessment returns expected
• 11,509,810 returns received by 31 January. This includes expected returns, voluntary returns and late registrations
• 10,887,810 expected returns received by 31 January
• An estimated 1.1 million customers missed the deadline
• 11,205,810 returns were filed online (97.36% of returns, following adjustments)
• 304,000 paper tax returns were filed (2.64% 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.

2. Previous Self Assessment statistics:

• 11,581,962 returns received for the 2022 to 2023 tax year by 31 January 2024
• 11,351,289 returns received for the 2021 to 2022 tax year by 31 January 2023

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