{"id":13635,"date":"2022-01-12T11:30:38","date_gmt":"2022-01-12T11:30:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/taxfix.com\/en-uk\/?p=13635"},"modified":"2025-11-04T15:11:17","modified_gmt":"2025-11-04T15:11:17","slug":"whats-the-difference-between-a-paper-and-online-tax-return","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/taxfix.com\/en-uk\/self-assessment-basics\/whats-the-difference-between-a-paper-and-online-tax-return\/","title":{"rendered":"What&#8217;s the difference between a paper and online tax return?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>So, you\u2019re probably wondering, what\u2019s the difference between a paper and online tax return, right? Aside from the obvious, there are a few areas where they differ, so let\u2019s get into it!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What is a tax return?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>A tax return is a document you file with <a href=\"https:\/\/taxfix.com\/en-uk\/glossary\/hmrc\/\">HMRC<\/a> that reports your income, expenses, and other relevant financial information, like capital gains for a particular tax year. We use a method called <a href=\"https:\/\/taxfix.com\/en-uk\/glossary\/self-assessment\/\">Self Assessment<\/a> to do personal tax returns.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<\/div> <!-- .c-body -->\n\n<div class=\"b-highlight-mini m-blue m-align-left\">\n    <div class=\"b-block-body\">\n        <h2>Why do I need to file a tax return?<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>To pay tax on your earnings outside of your salary<\/li>\n<li>Claiming a tax rebate<\/li>\n<li><\/li>\n<li>You want to claim a tax relief<\/li>\n<li>Pay tax on your pension<\/li>\n<li>Paying tax on savings interest<\/li>\n<li>To pay back your child benefit<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n    <\/div>\n<\/div> <!-- .b-highlight-mini -->\n\n<div class=\"c-body\">\n\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>OK\u2026 so what\u2019s a paper tax return?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Well, a paper tax return is a tax return that\u2019s in paper form. It sounds pretty simple, but there are a few things that you should be aware of. Firstly, the deadline to file a paper return is 31st October. This is earlier than the deadline for an online return, so make sure you\u2019ve filled out all your forms and have posted them to HMRC as soon as possible. Don\u2019t forget to account for postage time!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;The tax return form is called <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.uk\/government\/publications\/self-assessment-tax-return-sa100\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">SA100<\/a> and is the main Self Assessment form that you\u2019ll need to file. There are other supplementary forms that you would need to fill out based on your situation, so be aware of&nbsp; which forms will be required to avoid any issues. We\u2019ve listed these forms for you here \ud83d\udc47<\/p>\n\n\n<\/div> <!-- .c-body -->\n\n<div class=\"b-columns-mini m-align-left\">\n    <div class=\"b-columns-mini__container\">\n\n        \n        \n        <div class=\"b-columns-mini__item m-nude\">\n                                    \n            <div class=\"b-columns-mini__item-content\">\n                <div class=\"b-block-body\">\n                    <ul>\n<li>SA101<\/li>\n<li>SA102<\/li>\n<li>SA103<\/li>\n<li>SA104<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n                <\/div>\n            <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n\n        \n        \n        <div class=\"b-columns-mini__item m-nude\">\n                                    \n            <div class=\"b-columns-mini__item-content\">\n                <div class=\"b-block-body\">\n                    <ul>\n<li>SA105<\/li>\n<li>SA106<\/li>\n<li>SA107<\/li>\n<li>SA108<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n                <\/div>\n            <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n\n        \n        \n    <\/div>\n<\/div> <!-- .b-columns-mini -->\n\n<div class=\"c-body\">\n\n\n\n\n<p>You need to attach some of the above forms with your SA100 and post it to HMRC if they apply to you and your current circumstance. Once you\u2019ve posted your Self Assessment, unfortunately, you won\u2019t get notified once HMRC receives it. It\u2019s recommended that you send it tracked so that you can make sure it has been received. Also, you should be aware that late filing fees for paper returns are applied from 1st November.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What\u2019s an online return?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>An online return is your Self Assessment tax return done completely electronically. It\u2019s the same as the paper return but everything is done paperless and submitted to HMRC, you guessed it, online!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To register for an online return you have to do the following:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Register via the HMRC website<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Find out your <a href=\"https:\/\/taxfix.com\/en-uk\/glossary\/utr-number\/\">UTR<\/a> number (this will be posted to you)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Receive your activation code (also via post)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Activate your account<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>Once you have activated your account, you can start to fill in your online return. Instead of having to fill in various forms, you will need your <a href=\"https:\/\/taxfix.com\/en-uk\/glossary\/p60\/\">P60<\/a> and records of your income and <a href=\"https:\/\/taxfix.com\/en-uk\/glossary\/expenses\/\">expenses<\/a>. Other relevant documents will also be required depending on your situation, such as student loan statements or business account information.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<\/div> <!-- .c-body -->\n\n<div class=\"b-highlight-mini m-purple m-align-left\">\n    <div class=\"b-block-body\">\n        <h3>Here\u2019s what you\u2019d need to do after you\u2019ve gathered all your documents:<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Fill in your personal details<\/li>\n<li>Only fill in the relevant sections (and skip any that don\u2019t apply to you)<\/li>\n<li>Check and submit your return<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n    <\/div>\n<\/div> <!-- .b-highlight-mini -->\n\n<div class=\"c-body\">\n\n\n\n\n<p>Once you\u2019ve submitted your tax return, you\u2019ll get confirmation straight away with an on-screen code, which you should keep safe. You should also keep all relevant documents in a file or somewhere safe where you can access them in the future if needs be. The deadline for an online tax return is 31st January.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Now, you can do this all yourself for free\u2026 but do you really want to? <em>Really<\/em>? Or would you rather have your tax return filed by an accredited accountant using a quick, easy, and most of all stress-free automated system?&nbsp; Save some time and lots of hassle and let Taxfix file your tax return!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>So, you\u2019re probably wondering, what\u2019s the difference between a paper and online tax return, right? Aside from the obvious, there are a few areas where they differ, so let\u2019s get into it! What is a tax return? A tax return is a document you file with HMRC that reports your income, expenses, and other relevant [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[439,435],"tags":[102,415],"class_list":["post-13635","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-registration-and-filing-your-tax-return","category-self-assessment-basics","tag-hmrc","tag-tax-return-basics"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>What&#039;s the difference between a paper and online tax return? &#8211; Taxfix<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"What\u2019s the difference between a paper and an online tax return? 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