Chris Thompson delves into the history books to understand why the UK financial year commences on 6 April.<\/h2>\n
Why does the UK tax year<\/span><\/a> start in April?<\/p>\n Why not simplify things and match the tax year to the calendar year?\u00a0<\/p>\n Challenging the status quo and examining the world around us is crucial for progress and development. Considering the significant time and money people dedicate to taxation, it might be relevant, though not necessarily at the forefront of your mind, to question why 6 April is chosen as the start of the new tax year<\/span>. It would certainly be more straightforward to begin the financial year on 1 January! <\/span><\/p>\n However, like so much of the UK tax system<\/span>, it is far from simple and rooted in complexity. As we delve into this blog post, you’ll discover there are sound historical reasons and logic behind this choice, involving calendar accuracy, religion, agriculture, and a period when the government was accused of “stealing” 11 days!<\/span><\/p>\n Read on to find out more.\u00a0<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The UK tax year<\/a><\/span>, also referred to as the fiscal year, or financial year, commences on 6 April.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Correspondingly, the fiscal year ends on 5 April.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n This is the timeframe (6 April to 5 April the following year) in which individuals and businesses have to report their income and then calculate the tax they owe. The deadline for paying your tax bill is after the end of the tax year<\/a><\/span>. This then provides you with time to both plan and budget for settling your liability through payment on account<\/a><\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n![\"Get](\"https:\/\/no-cache.hubspot.com\/cta\/default\/2284600\/a7762054-498e-4127-90d6-d19ee1629c22.png\")
<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\nWhen does the UK tax year start?\u00a0<\/h2>\n
When does the tax year end?<\/h2>\n
What is the UK tax year?\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n