The official self-assessment deadline for filing your documents for the tax year ending April 5 (and for paying any money due) is midnight on 31 January.

This is always the January after the year in question. So for the 2022/23 tax year (which ended 5 April 2023) you need to file your tax return by 31 January 2024.

Also remember that when we talk about tax years, we mean 6 April to 5 April.

If you miss the date you’ll face a fine of at least £100.

Some face a 31 July deadline

Payments on account are tax payments made twice a year by taxpayers to help them stay on top of their payments and spread the cost of the upcoming year’s tax.

Generally this would apply to people who are self-employed or have other income from property – for most people who are employed, their tax is managed under PAYE.

Payment is spread over two instalments during the year and is calculated based on the previous year’s tax bill. Each payment is typically 50% of your last bill. A final payment is made after the actual tax return is submitted.

What you need to get started

You need a number of things to hand when you fill out your self-assessment tax return, so it’s a good idea to get these ready:

• Ten-digit UTR (you can apply here if you dont already have one)
• Your Government Gateway ID (you can set this up here)
• National insurance number
• Self-employment income and expenditure
  • invoices
  • receipts
  • bank statements
• Partnership income
• Information relating to any other untaxed income from the previous tax year, including:
  • rental income
  • dividends from shares
  • interest on savings
  • profits from sales of things like investments and second homes (capital gains)
• P60 or any other documents showing how much tax you have already paid on your employment income or pensions
• Details of money given to charity and Gift Aid
• Pension contributions
• Pension income
• Redundancy payment

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