Are you among the over 958,000 taxpayers that missed the 31 January 2020 filing deadline for 2018-19 Self-Assessment returns? If you missed the filing deadline you will be charged a £100 fixed penalty if your return is up to 3 months late, whether you owed tax or not for the 2018-19 year.

If you do not file and pay before 1 May 2020, you will face far greater penalties. A daily penalty of £10 per day, up to a maximum of £900 (90 days), will be charged from 1 May 2020. Further penalties will apply if your return is still outstanding for more than 6 months after the 31 January 2020 filing deadline. From 1 August 2020, you will be charged a penalty the greater of £300 or 5% of the tax due. If your return still remains outstanding one year after the filing deadline, further penalties will be charged from 1 February 2021.

You can appeal against any penalties that have been issued and HMRC has said that they will treat appeals where tax-payers have genuine excuses, leniently. However, you need to act fast and the excuse must be genuine and HMRC can ask for evidence to support any claim. An appeal must usually be made within 30 days of receipt of the penalty.

If you need help sorting out a late return, please call. It is better to resolve any late filing issues sooner rather than later in order to reduce your exposure to interest and penalty charges. We can also help you make an appeal if you have a reasonable excuse for late filing.