Countdown to tax return deadline

There are just 10 days left to send your 2013-14 tax return to HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) and avoid a £100 late-filing penalty.

If you still have to submit a return, you need to do it online and pay what you owe by midnight on Saturday 31 January.

HMRC figures released earlier this month revealed that London was the worst region for late tax returns in the UK last year (with 512 late returns per 10,000 received). The statistics also showed that men were 10 per cent more likely than women to send a late return, while young people aged 18 to 20 were seven times more likely than the over 65s to file late.

HMRC Director General of Personal Tax, Ruth Owen, said:

“The days are counting down to 31 January. If you still have to send in your 2013-14 return, you need to take action now. The later you leave it, the less time you’ll have to sort out any last-minute problems.”

Help and advice on filing your return is available from the GOV.UK website at www.gov.uk/self-assessment-tax-returns or the Self Assessment helpline on 0300 200 3310 (open 8am to 8pm, Monday to Friday, and 8am to 4pm on Saturday).

Customers with general tax return queries can tweet the @HMRCcustomers Twitter feed, from 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday. Tweets should not contain any personal information.

Self Assessment-only customers (those who are self-employed, with no other source of income, no employees and who are not registered for VAT), can now opt to receive instant email alerts and electronic messages from HMRC, rather than paper communications. To sign up for paperless Self Assessment, log onto your Self Assessment online account and follow the prompts. In future, this service will be extended to other Self Assessment online customers.

Notes for editors

1.  Around 11.2 million people are expected to fill out a tax return for the 2013-14 tax year.

2.  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 per cent of the tax due or £300, whichever is greater; and
•   after 12 months, another 5 per cent or £300 charge, whichever is greater.

3.  There are also additional penalties for paying late of 5 per cent of the tax unpaid at 30 days, 6 months and 12 months.

4.  See HMRC news release 02/15 for more details of HMRC’s analysis of late filers – www.mynewsdesk.com/uk/hm-revenue-customs-hmrc/pressreleases/women-win-the-battle-of-the-taxes-1104727

5.  Follow the HMRC Press Office on Twitter @HMRCpressoffice