Almost 750,000 people missed the midnight 31 January deadline for filing their tax return and now run the risk of a £100 fine.
HM Revenue & Customs said almost 10.7 million taxpayers had submitted their self-assessment return before the deadline, with just over 30,000 people filing online in the final hour, between 11pm and 11.59pm.
Of the 11.4m returns due, around 745,500 were still outstanding, HMRC said at lunchtime on Thursday. These people are now at risk of paying a penalty, though the number of taxpayers who failed to meet the deadline is down on last year, when it was 840,000.
HMRC said the 10,687,761 returns received by midnight on 31 January represented 93.5% of the total. Around 758,000 people completed their return on the final day.
Angela MacDonald, the department’s director general for customer services, said: “If you’re one of the small number that missed the deadline, please submit your return now to avoid further penalties. We really don’t want penalties, we just want tax returns.”
An HMRC spokesman said that not all of those who failed to file on time would pay a penalty. Those who have a reasonable excuse – for example, they were unable to submit their form because they had to attend hospital – may be able to avoid a fine, provided they get their return in as soon as they are able to.
The penalty for late tax returns is £100, which applies even if there is no tax to pay or if the tax due is paid on time. After three months, additional daily penalties of £10 a day kick in, up to a maximum of £900. After six and then 12 months, there are further penalties of 5% of the tax due or £300, whichever is greater.
In November it emerged that the £100 immediate fine was to be replaced by a driving-licence-style points system. The change forms part of a series of Treasury reforms which aim to concentrate on serious tax avoidance and not punish taxpayers who make simple errors.
