Martin Lewis warns households could face £1,000 fine by missing Census Survey cut-off date

18 March 2021, 09:52

By Alice Dear

@According2Al

Martin Lewis has issued a warning to people in England, Northern Ireland and Wales as Census Day draws nearer.

Every household in the UK – excluding Scotland – should have received their Census 2021 letter in the post recently.

By filling the survey out, you'll be giving vital information to help officials understand how the characteristics of the population vary.

It will also help decide how services are funded in your local area.

While most people have probably completed their forms by now, some are still yet to fill out the questionnaire.

But you won't want to wait too much longer as Money Saving Expert Martin Lewis has warned you could face a fine for not completing it.

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Writing in his weekly MoneySavingExpert newsletter, Martin Lewis said: "This Sunday is 'Census Day'… fill it in or risk a £1,000 fine.

"It’s in England, Wales and Northern Ireland only, and ignoring the survey altogether could land you in hot water."

Scotland's Census will happen in 2022.

Information on the MoneySavingExpert's website reads: "It's an offence to supply false information or not to complete the census, and you could be fined up to £1,000.

"Fines are a last resort though. In England and Wales, four people received the maximum £1,000 fine for non-compliance at the last census in 2011, while a further 270 people were fined an average of £218."

The Census Survey needs to be filled out – one per household – by March 21, also known as 'Census Day'.

Questions in the survey include queries about the household, how many people live in the household and employment status.

The Census can also be filled out online, but you will need your letter in order to find the 16 character code.

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