More than double number miss the deadline in 2021 than did in 2019
More people than ever before have missed the annual tax return deadline with some 1.8m people failing to file their forms on time.
Close to 15pc of the 12.1 million people due to file returns missed the cut-off this year, HM Revenue & Customs has said. The 1.8 million figure was nearly double the 958,000 people who filed late in 2020 and more than double the 730,000 who missed the deadline in 2019.
They now face having to stump up for additional interest charges and late payment fines which can snowball into the thousands if left unpaid.
Self assessment: late tax returns almost double at 1.8 million 3 February 2021: A record-high number of taxpayers missed the self assessment tax return deadline and ICAEW has urged late filers to act well ahead of the new 28 February cut-off.
While more than 10.7 million people submitted their 2019/20 returns by the 31 January deadline, the 1.8 million who failed to file is almost double the 958,296 from last year.
Remaining taxpayers whose tax return is now late will not be charged a late filing penalty, provided they submit their return online a month later by 28 February.
Reflecting on the figures, ICAEW’s Tax Faculty says the number of missed returns this year confirms that the automatic waiver of late-filing penalties was needed. “The coronavirus pandemic has had a huge impact on the resources of taxpayers, agents and HMRC alike,” says Caroline Miskin, Technical Manager at the faculty. “Waiving penalties for SA returns until 28 Febru
| UPDATED: 22:11, Tue, Feb 2, 2021
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Self Assessment is a method of collecting Income Tax used by HMRC, and millions will have filed their relevant documentation by the deadline. However, understandably the pressures of COVID-19 over the past year have affected the ability of many people to file by January 31. HMRC has confirmed approximately 1.8million taxpayers missed the Self Assessment deadline.
12.1 million SA returns due
10,743,387 returns received by 31 January - this includes Expected Returns, unsolicited returns and Late Registrations
10,351,387 Expected Returns received by 31 January (85.25% of returns expected)
392,000 unsolicited returns/Late Registrations (3.65%)
1,790,368 taxpayers missed the deadline (14.74%)
10,274,940 returns were filed online (95.64% of total filed)
Unsolicited returns/late registrations are an estimate based on returns received by early January and previous filing behaviour. The unusual filing patterns this year means that the final figure for 31 January may be lower.
We will not charge late filing penalties for SA700s and SA970s received in February. These returns can only be filed on paper.
For SA800s and SA900s we will not charge a late filing penalty if customers file online by the end of February 2021. The deadline for filing SA800s and SA900s on paper was 31 October 2020. Customers who file late on paper will be charged a late fi
1.8m taxpayers miss January 31 self-assessment deadline
Taxpayers were still obliged to pay their bills by the end of January (PA)
Around 1.8 million taxpayers have missed the January 31 self-assessment deadline, figures from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) show.
More than 10.7 million people submitted their 2019/20 self-assessment tax returns by the deadline.
The remaining 1.8 million whose tax return is now late will not be charged a late filing penalty provided they submit their return online by February 28.
HMRC previously announced that anyone who could not file their return by the usual January deadline would not receive a penalty if they filed online by the end of this month.