HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has issued a significant 77-day warning to millions of taxpayers across the United Kingdom, urging them to act now to avoid a last-minute rush.
The January Deadline is Approaching
The UK's tax authority has reminded the public that the final date for submitting Self Assessment tax returns for the 2024/25 tax year is 31 January 2026. This gives households exactly 77 days from 15 November 2025 to complete and file their returns.
HMRC is actively encouraging people to begin the process early. The key benefit, they highlight, is that filing your return now means you will know precisely how much tax you owe much sooner. This provides valuable extra time to budget and prepare for the payment, which is also due by the 31 January deadline.
Official Advice and Available Support
Myrtle Lloyd, HMRC’s Chief Customer Officer, stated: “Now is the time to get started. Completing your return now means you know how much tax you need to pay ahead of the deadline.”
She also pointed taxpayers towards the wealth of support available, adding: “We are here to help with lots of help and advice, just search ‘file a tax return’ on GOV.UK to find out more.”
A major advantage of starting early is that you can save your progress. HMRC confirms that you can return to your partially completed form as many times as needed before finally submitting it.
Who Needs to File a Return?
For those unsure whether they need to complete a Self Assessment, HMRC recommends using the official Self Assessment checker tool on GOV.UK. According to the tax office, you are likely required to send a return if, in the last tax year (6 April 2024 to 5 April 2025), any of the following applied:
- You were self-employed as a ‘sole trader’ and earned more than £1,000.
- You were a partner in a business partnership.
- You had to pay Capital Gains Tax after selling an asset that increased in value.
- You needed to pay the High Income Child Benefit Charge.
So far, an impressive 3.5 million people have already filed their returns for the 2024/25 period. This follows the trend from last year, where over 97% of all tax returns were filed online.
People can also use the government website to register for Self Assessment or to notify HMRC if their circumstances have changed and they no longer need to complete a return.
