Deadline For Paper Tax Returns

30 October 2011, 09:27 | Updated: 30 October 2011, 09:33

HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) is asking anyone who hasn't yet filed their paper return to get it in by tomorrow, to avoid a late-filing penalty.

Around 280,000 people in Suffolk and Norfolk are expected to file a Self Assessment return this year.

If you send in a paper tax return on or after 1 November, you will now be given a £100 penalty - even if there is no tax to pay or the tax due is paid on time - following the introduction of a new penalty regime this year. The longer you delay, the more you'll have to pay, as there are further late-filing penalties after three, six and twelve months.

If you can't send your paper return by 31 October, you can still avoid a penalty by sending your tax return online instead. However, if you do send a paper return after the 31 October deadline, you cannot avoid the initial £100 penalty by subsequently filing online.

To find out more about the October deadline and sending a paper tax return, go to www.hmrc.gov.uk/sa/deadline-news.htm.

If you send your tax return online, you get an extra three months to send it, as the deadline is 31 January. HMRC say there are lots of other advantages too:
- your tax is calculated automatically;
- you get an immediate online acknowledgement; and
- your tax return is processed faster, so any money that you are owed is repaid more quickly.

You can registering for HMRC Online Services by going to www.hmrc.gov.uk/online.

For help and advice on completing a return, visit www.hmrc.gov.uk/sa or call the Self Assessment helpline on 0845 9000 444.