Late tax return? Ask us to help before your tax bill grows

It’s never a good idea to submit a late tax return. When you do, your tax bill starts growing, thanks to penalties and interest charges. These can quickly spiral, making it harder and harder for you to settle what you owe.

Late tax returns 

Last year it was estimated that over a million people due to file still hadn’t filed their return by 31 January. If you are one of them, you will have had to pay a £100 fine. Unfortunately, this is something you cannot avoid.

However, if you still haven’t submitted your tax return, it’s crucial that you do so as soon as possible. Once your return is 3 months late, you’ll start being charged £10 per day for up to 90 days. If you submit your return 6 months late, you’ll be hit with either a penalty of £300 or 5% of the tax due (whichever is higher). Get to 12 months and you’ll be forced to cough up another £300 or 5% of the tax due.

Late payment penalties

It’s not only late filing that attracts penalties, but late payment does too. As soon as payment is 30 days late you will get charged 5% of the outstanding tax. A further 5% is added at six months, and yet another 5% at 12 months.

Then there’s the interest you have to cover if you pay late. HMRC official interest rates have risen significantly in the last year and now (Jan 2024) sit at a hefty 7.75%.

Solving your late tax return problem 

If you haven’t yet submitted your tax return, ask us to help. We can submit your Self-Assessment Tax Return quickly, helping you to avoid further penalties although getting this submitted now by the end of January may be a big ask!

Once your return is in, it’s best to settle your bill immediately if this is possible. If it isn’t, the next best plan is to pay up before 1st April to avoid late payment penalties.

If you can’t settle in full, it’s a good idea to pay what you can and then to set up a Time to Pay arrangement. This allows you to spread the cost of your tax bill with monthly payments. The deadline for organising a Time to Pay plan online is 1st April, so you need to act quickly.

Key takeaways

If you haven’t yet submitted your tax return or paid the tax you owe, you need to act quickly. If you miss the 31 January deadline, you’ll have to pay a £100 late filing penalty, plus interest on what you owe from 1st February. Leave things until after 1st April and you’ll start being hit by hefty fines. Remember: 5% of a £15,000 tax bill is £750!

To stop your bills escalating, ask us to submit your return. That’ll prevent further late submission penalties. Then be sure to pay your tax or set up a Time to Pay arrangement by 1st April.

Of course, if you have any questions, please do get in touch. One of our accountants would be delighted to help you.