Tax return reminder

HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) is issuing a New Year reminder to anyone in the North West region who hasn’t yet sent in their 2010/11 Self Assessment tax return.

Every year, around 874,000 people file a Self Assessment return in the north west of England.

There are two important things to remember if you still haven’t submitted your 2010/11 return – firstly, you must send it online and, secondly, you need to do so by the 31 January deadline. If you send HMRC an online return after this date, or you file a paper return, you will receive a £100 penalty – even if you have no tax to pay or you pay your tax on time.

If you’re completing an online return for the first time, you’ll first need to register for online filing at www.hmrc.gov.uk/online. You’ll immediately get a User ID, and an Activation Code will be posted to you. Once you’ve activated your account, you can complete your tax return online.

It’s important that you register now if you need to, because it can take up to 10 days to receive your Activation Code, and time is running out. Those who have filed online before should check that they still have their User ID and password – it can also take up to 10 days to get a replacement, so don’t leave it to the last minute if you need one.

HMRC’s Stephen Banyard said: “Missing the 31 January deadline will mean that Self Assessment taxpayers will face penalties. And we don’t want them to – we want the tax returns, not the penalties. We want people to file online and on-time, and avoid facing a completely avoidable penalty.”

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

And don’t forget, 31 January 2011 is also the deadline for paying any tax you owe for the 2010/11 tax year.