FOR all those self-employed and small business directors, have you sent in your 2009/10 Self Assessment tax return?
The deadline for filing on paper has already passed – that was the end of October – so if you haven’t done it yet, then it must be done online. Otherwise there is a £100 penalty. And, while you might want to see Britain plc dig itself out of the hole created by the banks and the previous government, probably giving more money than necessary to the tax man is not such a good idea.
Filing online shouldn’t be a problem. More than 6.4m taxpayers filed their self assessment returns online and on-time last year, which was a record number.
If you’re filing your return online for the first time, you’ll first need to register for online filing at www.hmrc.gov.uk/online. You’ll be given a User ID, and an Activation Code will be posted to you within seven working days. Once you’ve received your Activation Code you can file online.
If you’ve filed online before, make sure that you have your User ID and password – it can take seven working days to get replacements, so don’t leave it to the last minute if you need them.
The deadline for online Self Assessment returns is Monday 31 January.
If you need further help, go to our Law & Tax landing page where there is a large green HMRC panel at the top of the page – you can’t miss it – that has a series of HMRC drop down menus to help you.
But above all, don’t put it off.
Editor’s Blog on meeting tax deadlines
