Turkey dinner and tax returns

Completing your tax return may not be top of your priorities on Christmas Day, but that didn’t stop 2,616 taxpayers from filing their Self Assessment returns on 25 December.

For some taxpayers completing their return on Christmas Day is as traditional as spending time with family and friends, or waiting for the Boxing Day sales to start. The peak time was between 1pm and 2pm, when more than 230 customers filed.

Angela MacDonald, HMRC’s Director General for Customer Services, said:

This year, more than 2,600 taxpayers chose to file their returns on Christmas Day.

Whether you fit it in while cooking the Christmas turkey, or after the kids have gone to bed, or after the Queen’s Speech, our online service is available for you to file your tax return at a time that suits you.

More than 11 million taxpayers are expected to complete a 2017 to 2018 Self Assessment tax return form by 31 January 2019.

The number of tax returns filed during this period were:

25 December (total 2,616)

• midnight to 08.00: 204
• 08.01 to 16.00: 1,372
• 16.01 to midnight: 1,040

26 December (total 8,465)

• midnight to 08.00: 348
• 08.01 to 16.00: 4492
• 16.01 to midnight: 3,625

For any customers who are yet to start their 2017 to 2018 Self Assessment, there are films and webinars that take you through each stage of the process, with bespoke guidance for people’s varying circumstances. Help is also available on GOV.UK or from the Self Assessment helpline on 0300 200 3310, and on social media.

If customers completed a Self Assessment tax return last year but didn’t have any tax to pay, they still need to complete a 2017 to 2018 tax return unless HMRC has written to them to say that it is not required.

Further Information

Filing figures:

• 2,616 taxpayers filed on 25 December 2018
• peak filing hour on 25 December was between 1 and 2pm (231 tax returns filed)
• 8,465 taxpayers filed on 26 December 2018
• peak filing hour on 26 December was between 1 and 2pm (723 tax returns filed)

Tax is automatically deducted from the majority of UK taxpayers’ wages, pensions or savings. People or businesses that do not have tax automatically deducted, or that they may have earned additional untaxed income, are required to complete a Self Assessment tax return each year.