Helpsheet 2018/19
Deadlines
31 October 2019 – Paper Returns: If you send a paper Tax Return it must reach HMRC by midnight on 31 October. The deadline may be later if it is after 31 July when HMRC sends you the letter telling you to complete a Tax Return. In this case the letter will tell you the deadline - it is usually three months from the date of the letter. Or if you are sending a Self Assessment Return for a registered pension scheme or non-resident company, you can only send paper Returns so the deadline is not until 31 January.
31 January 2020 – Online Returns: Your online Tax Return must reach HMRC by midnight on 31 January. So for the 2018/19 tax year, the deadline for online Returns is midnight on 31 January 2020. Similarly, the deadline may be later if it is after 31 October 2019 when HMRC sends you the letter telling you to complete a Tax Return. In this case the letter will tell you the deadline - it is usually three months from the date of the letter.
30 December 2019 - PAYE code collection: If you want HMRC to collect any tax you owe through your tax code, you can ask for this if you owe less than £3,000. If your Return is submitted before 30 December, HMRC will try to collect the tax due through your code, but they cannot always do so.
PENALTIES
If you miss the deadline, the longer you delay, the more you will have to pay. So it is important to send your Tax Return to HMRC as soon as you can. The table overleaf shows the penalties you will have to pay if your Tax Return is late; if a Partnership Tax Return is late, each partner will have to pay the penalties shown below:
PAYMENT DEADLINES
31 January 2020: You must pay any tax you owe by 31 January following the end of the tax year. For the tax year 2018/19 you must pay any tax you owe by 31 January 2019.
The payment deadline is the same for both paper and online Returns and there are very few exceptions. As an example, the deadline may be later if it was after 31 October 2019 when HMRC sent you the letter telling you to complete a Tax Return. In this case your payment is usually due three months from the date of the letter.
On the 31 January, you will need to pay one or both of the following:
• any tax you still owe for the previous tax year
• the first of two 'Payments on Account'
Payments on account are part payments towards your next tax bill. You do not always have to pay these – it will depend on the amount of tax due and the kind of income you receive. HMRC will usually send you a 'Self Assessment Statement' that shows how much you owe or you can check your tax bill online.
31 July 2019: This is your deadline for making any further payments on account, on 31 July 2019 you would make your second Payment on Account for the 2018/19 tax year.