With less than a month until the January 31 deadline cut-off point, 54,053 customers chose to ring in the New Year by filing their tax return for the 2024 to 2025 tax year on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day.
Thousands of people got a head start on their 2026 resolutions by filing their Self Assessment tax return over the New Year – but Lanarkshire residents yet to do so are being warned to beat the impending deadline.
With less than a month until the January 31 deadline cut-off point, 54,053 customers chose to ring in the New Year by filing their tax return for the 2024 to 2025 tax year on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day.
More than 6.36 million taxpayers have submitted their tax return so far, which leaves almost 5.65 million who still need to complete their Self Assessment.
Those who miss the deadline could face an initial late filing penalty of £100.
Myrtle Lloyd, HMRC’s chief customer officer, said: “New Year is a great time to start afresh. What better way than to ensure your tax affairs are in order for another year than completing your tax return.
“If you have yet to start, the clock is ticking, go to GOV.UK and start today.”
A wide range of online help and support is available on GOV.UK to help people fill in and file their tax return.
Lanarkshire customers can start their tax return, save it and re-visit it as many times as they need to before they submit it.
And, once they’ve sent it, the bill doesn’t have to be paid straight away, but does need to be paid before the 31 January deadline.
The easiest way to pay is through the HMRC app, while customers can also set up notifications in the app to ensure they know when payments are due so they don’t miss a deadline.
READ MORE: Several Lanarkshire GP practices and community pharmacies will be open over New Year public holidays
Lanarkshire customers who are unable to meet the tax return deadline need to tell HMRC before January 31.
The organisation will treat those with reasonable excuses fairly.
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 threee months, additional daily penalties of £10 per day, up to a maximum of £900.
- After six months, a further penalty of five per cent of the tax due or £300, whichever is greater.
- After 12 months, another five per cent or £300 charge, whichever is greater.
There are also additional penalties for late payments of five per cent of the tax unpaid at 30 days, six 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.
People who complete a Self Assessment tax return to pay the High Interest Child Benefit Charge (HICBC) can opt out and choose to pay it through their tax code via the new PAYE digital service.
Eligible customers need to notify HMRC to stop Self Assessment before the filing deadline.
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 do not need to include their 2025 Pension Age Winter Heating payment 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 January 31, 2027.
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