Good news! There’s still time to meet the deadline but you better act quickly. The deadline is approaching fast. You have until the 31st of this month to get your Self-Assessment Tax Return sorted and sent off.
It’s always best to act as quickly as you can so that you’re not caught out and miss the deadline. So with that in mind, here’s a quick guide on where to go next.
Who needs to file a tax return?
You need to file a tax return if you are self-employed or each some money on the side from freelance or casual work.
What do you need?
You will need two key things, your Unique Tax Return (UTR) and to make sure that you’re registered with the government gateway online.
It’s important to act as soon as you can because it can take up to ten working days to receive your UTR and then another ten days to get your government gateway ID, though it can sometimes take longer.
With those time scales in mind, the latest you should look to file your return would be around the 10th, as this will give you 21 days to get everything sorted.
You need to begin the process even earlier if you live overseas as it could take double the amount of time to get everything to you.
If you can’t find your UTR number, then you need to get in contact with HMRC as soon as possible because the deadline is quickly approaching.
What documents do you need?
If you have several employers you need one or more of these:
- P60 (for income through PAYE)
- P45 (for previous employment)
- P11d (for benefits from your employer)
For the self-employed:
- Evidence of income
- Evidence of expenses (so you can claim tax relief)
Will you need to hire an accountant?
While it may be a little too close to the deadline to start shopping around for accountants, you can still approach a firm for help. Just be warned that this is a busy period for all accountancy firms.
A tax accountant can help give you peace of mind by keeping track of all the deadlines and tax responsibilities that you need to be aware of. They can also help you become more tax efficient and can advise you on what you can and can’t claim as expenses for tax relief.
You can fill file your Self-Assessment tax return here. The process can take as little as 30 minutes if your tax return is straightforward. If your situation is a little more complicated, then you’re best getting in contact with HMRC or an accountancy firm that you know deals with similar situations as yours.
The HMRC helpline is 0300 200 3310 and is open Monday-Friday until 8pm or 4pm on Saturdays. It’s closed on Sundays. If you do need to call them then make sure that you have your national insurance number to hand. Then be prepared for a wait.
For further information and help on how to file your tax return, visit the government’s website here.
