HMRC ready for self-assessment tax return deadline

Date: 27th November 2009

HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) has issued an update on its plans for the January 31st deadline for online self-assessment tax returns.

In its Working Together publication for tax advisers, the tax authority said that it had recently made changes to ensure the "smooth running" of the filing system.

HMRC said that its 24-hour turnaround target for authorising tax agents to carry out self-assessment returns on their clients' behalf had been a success, with 130,000 of the forms processed within a day in January 2009 - the first year of the programme's introduction.

Around 15,000 of the newly self-employed were also processed through the new Unique Taxpayer Reference system.

"The HMRC agents team is talking to various parts of HMRC to look into the feasibility of putting special arrangements in place this year and we are working with the Working Together Steering Group to ensure that any such arrangements will meet the needs of agents," the report added.

"Of course, we advise agents to allow plenty of time and to file as early as possible, avoiding the peaks as the deadline approaches."

Online tax return filers outnumbered paper tax return filers by over two to one last year.

Failure to post the return by the January 31st deadline incurs a £100 fine.

Posted by Emma Clarke