‘Biggest self-assessment ever’ as more than ten million file
HMRC receives 10.24 million self-assessments by 31 January deadline
THE LARGEST HAUL of self-assessments ever were received by HM Revenue & Customs by midnight on 31 January, it has been confirmed.
In all, 10.24 million submissions were made, 85.5% of which were completed online. In 2014 there were 10.03 million filed.
In all, 11.13 million self-assessment returns were due, meaning some 890,000 are now overdue and will face an automatic £100 late-filing penalty. There are further late-filing penalties after three, six and 12 months.
The busiest days for filing were 30 and 31 January, when HMRC received 980,000 returns. The busiest hour was between 1pm and 2pm on 30 January, when almost 50,000 returns were received – 830 per minute.
The busiest hour on deadline day was between 11 am and midday, when almost 32,000 returns were received – 530 per minute.
Around 4.3 million tax payers – about 43% – left it until January to file their returns, which HMRC issued in April 2014.
Some 1,773 filed on Christmas Day.
HMRC’s director-general of personal tax Ruth Owen said: “This is another record-breaking year for self-assessment, with 210,000 more people filing their returns on time than last year.
“We’re grateful to the overwhelming majority of people who sent their returns on time. If you’re one of the minority who missed the deadline, you still need to get your tax return to us as soon as possible, to avoid further penalties and interest mounting up.”