The UK government has warned that people who need to register for an Income Tax Self Assessment have one week left to do so before the 5 October deadline. Tax is usually deducted automatically from wages and pensions, but people and businesses with other income must report it in a Self Assessment tax return.
Approximately 12 million people in the UK file a Self Assessment tax return every year, whether from being self-employed or as part of a business partnership. The deadline to register for Self Assessment is Monday, 5 October.
Official warning issued
In a post on X, the official GOV.UK account shared a warning for anyone who needs to register. The post said: "Are you new to Self Assessment? There's just 1 week left to register before the 5 October deadline."
Advice on the government website said: "You must tell HMRC by 5 October if you need to complete a tax return for the previous year and you have either not sent a tax return before or registered before but did not need to send a tax return for the tax year 2024 to 2025."
Fines and help available
You could be fined if you do not tell HMRC by 5 October. You need to keep records (for example bank statements or receipts) so you can fill in your tax return correctly. You can get help filling in your return on the government website. HMRC will calculate what you owe based on what you report. You can check if you need to send a tax return if you’re not sure.
Who must send a tax return
You must send a tax return if, in the last tax year (6 April to 5 April), any of the following applied:
- you were self-employed as a "sole trader" and earned more than £1,000 (before taking off anything you can claim tax relief on)
- you were a partner in a business partnership
- you had to pay Capital Gains Tax when you sold or "disposed of" something that increased in value
- you had to pay the High Income Child Benefit Charge and do not pay it through PAYE
- you are an off-payroll worker who is repaying a student or postgraduate loan
You may also need to send a tax return if you have any untaxed income, such as money from renting out property or land, tips and commissions, savings interest, dividends including investments, foreign income, or any taxable UK income if you’re a non-UK resident.
You may also need to send a tax return if you want to claim tax relief on community investments or some venture capital schemes. You can also choose to fill in a tax return to prove you’re self-employed, for example to claim Tax-Free Childcare or Maternity Allowance, pay voluntary National Insurance contributions, or claim Income Tax relief on maintenance payments.
