Ercan Demiralay FCCA explains when you need to file your tax return, the necessity for preparation, and the pitfalls of leaving it till January.<\/h2>\n
Do you complete a self assessment tax return<\/a><\/span> each year?<\/p>\n Or have you recently:<\/p>\n If so, there\u2019s one date you need to be aware of and it’s also one you really shouldn’t leave until the last minute.<\/p>\n 31 January is the official deadline<\/span> for submitting your tax return and paying what you owe.\u00a0<\/p>\n Given the end of the tax year is 5 April, 9 months may sound like a lot of time to submit it, but the reality in\u00a0our experience is that a lot of people leave it until December or January. That’s often where the problems start.\u00a0<\/p>\n This can result\u00a0in:<\/p>\n That’s why we’ve written this blog post, to help you understand:<\/p>\n Quick links to sections covered in this blog post include:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n If you’re completing a self assessment tax return in the UK, the deadline for this is 31 January following the end of the tax year<\/a><\/span>.\u00a0<\/p>\n The 2025\/26 tax year ended on 5 April 2026, so this means the tax return submission deadline is 31 January 2027.\u00a0<\/p>\n <\/p>\n People know the deadline but end up leaving a lot of work until January. We’ve come across this many times with new clients and we often hear the same things:<\/p>\n ‘I didn’t realise it would be this much.’\u00a0<\/p>\n ‘I wish I’d started earlier.’<\/p>\n In fact the latest\u00a0Making Tax Digital for Income Tax Self Assessment<\/a><\/span> initiative means it’s more important than ever to record income, transactions, and expenses as they occur through the appropriate software<\/a><\/span>.\u00a0<\/p>\n <\/p>\n It’s important to understand that filing a tax return is a process<\/span> which means there’s more than 1 important date. Be sure to note the following for your diary:<\/p>\n\n
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1. When is the UK tax return deadline?\u00a0<\/h2>\n
2. Where many people can go wrong<\/h2>\n
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<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n3. The key tax return deadlines you need to know<\/h2>\n
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