Helpful tips on how not to miss the self-assessment deadline

Although HMRC sends reminders to those who need to file their self-assessment tax return, not everyone meets this deadline. More than 30,000 taxpayers completed their tax return within the last hour on January 2018.

Here, GoSimpleTax gives you some helpful tips on how not to miss the self-assessment deadline.

Know the date

The self-assessment deadline is one of the most important tax dates which everyone should know. You should treat this date as if it was a family member’s birthday. Although it isn’t something you want to remind yourself of, it is a date you should note down in your diary.

To start off with, you should mark this date in your calendar, ensure to include on all devices, for example, your laptop, phone, tablet etc. and any paper calendars you have too. Whilst doing this you could set an alert to prompt you of the upcoming deadline.

More on all the relevant 2019 tax dates to add to your diary.

Getting your tax affairs organised

Making sure you have all your evidence that may be required for your tax return, this could include your expense receipts. Collecting these well in advance of the deadline will put your mind at ease when the deadline comes around.

If you have an employment or pension income make sure you have received your P60, whilst employers’ can send you a copy, if this is left to the last minute it may be too late.

A good idea would be to take photographs of any expenditure recorded that is in paper format and upload them along with any in a digital formation into one place.

Penalties

If you miss the self-assessment deadline, there are penalties which are in place and after Christmas and your tax bill, the last thing you want on top of this is added fines. Being aware of the penalty system, along with the charges could give you the boost you need to complete your return on time.

Here’s what the penalties are:

• 1 day late – you would receive a £100 penalty
• Anything up to 3 months late – £100 plus £10 for each day afterwards for up to 90 days
• Up to 6 months late – the above penalties plus either £300 or 5% of the total tax due – whichever is higher
• Anything up to 12 months late – the above penalties with an extra £300 fine or 5% of the tax owed

Although it may seem like it’s not much money you’ll have to pay extra, you’ll still have to submit your return at some point, but submitting later will just mean that you pay more.

Use self-assessment software

If you are not sure on what expenses you’re able to claim back, tax software can help you make tax savings. For example, some self-assessment software providers will notify you of these and help you complete your self-assessment a lot faster.

This type of software allows you to quickly input your financial information and have your tax sorted. You won’t have to make any calculations as the software will calculate the tax you owe with the figures you have entered. If you struggle with taxes, then it may be worth considering getting self-assessment software.

More on small business taxes and filing the self-assessment tax return.