{"id":7037,"date":"2021-11-22T12:07:27","date_gmt":"2021-11-22T12:07:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/taxfix.com\/en-uk\/?p=7037"},"modified":"2025-09-15T17:36:48","modified_gmt":"2025-09-15T16:36:48","slug":"i-need-self-assessment-help","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/taxfix.com\/en-uk\/blog\/i-need-self-assessment-help\/","title":{"rendered":"I need Self Assessment help!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>When you do your first tax return, getting Self Assessment help is vital. The world of tax can be very complicated, especially if you\u2019re new to it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Since 2015, the number of fines for tax returns being filed late has risen every year for three years. For tax returns filed more than 30 days late, HMRC fined 283,000 people; in 2016, HMRC fined 291,000 people; in 2017, HMRC fined 331,000 people.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And what with the financial strain that the pandemic has caused, it seems likely that these numbers will continue to rise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"embed-container\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Tax in 10(ish) seconds - what is Self Assessment?\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/pMg5p0tJ-z8?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">So, how can we sort this?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>First of all, preparation is key. The more you know about the penalties that you might be liable to pay, the less likely it is that you\u2019ll end up in a situation of having to pay them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Otherwise, there are three things to bear in mind:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Submit your Self Assessment online by 5th October<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>File and pay your tax return by 31st January<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Know how much you need to pay on top if you don\u2019t do it on time<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>This is what you\u2019ll be charged for being late on any of the above, not including interest:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Submitting your Self Assessment\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>1 day &#8211; 3 months late \u27a1\ufe0f  \u00a3100 flat fee<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>3 &#8211; 6 months late \u27a1\ufe0f  \u00a310 per day<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>6 &#8211; 12 months \u27a1\ufe0f  \u00a3300 flat fee or 5% of your bill (whichever is more)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>&gt;12 months \u27a1\ufe0f  \u00a3300 flat fee or 5% of your bill (whichever is more)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Paying late\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>1 &#8211; 30 days late \u27a1\ufe0f  no penalty<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>30 days &#8211; 6 months late \u27a1\ufe0f  5% of your tax bill<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>6 &#8211; 12 months \u27a1\ufe0f  10% of you tax bill<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>&gt;12 months \u27a1\ufe0f  15% of your tax bill<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<\/div> <!-- .c-body -->\n\n<div class=\"b-highlight-mini m-neutral m-align-left\">\n    <div class=\"b-block-body\">\n        <p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As of <strong>May 7th 2025<\/strong>, the Bank of England\u2019s interest rate is \ud83d\udc49 <\/span><b>4.25%<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n\n    <\/div>\n<\/div> <!-- .b-highlight-mini -->\n\n<div class=\"c-body\">\n\n\n\n\n\n<p>Although this probably looks daunting, keep in mind that if you have a reasonable excuse for not paying your tax return on time, HMRC will be lenient. But your excuse needs to be reasonable \u2013 take a look at a few <a href=\"https:\/\/taxfix.com\/en-uk\/youre-expensing-what\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">excuses<\/a> that HMRC will not accept&#8230;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Now for the Self Assessment help?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Let\u2019s start with the basics. What is your Self Assessment?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s the way that you declare your untaxed income to HMRC. Just head over to HMRC and fill in a few details about your income. And this includes everything:<\/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>Full-time salaried job<\/li>\n<li>Side gigs<\/li>\n<li>Self-employed income<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n                <\/div>\n            <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n\n        \n        \n        <div class=\"b-columns-mini__item m-purple\">\n                                    \n            <div class=\"b-columns-mini__item-content\">\n                <div class=\"b-block-body\">\n                    <ul>\n<li>Rental income<\/li>\n<li>Investments \u2013 e.g. in cryptocurrency, shares, property<\/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>And this <em>must<\/em> be done by 5th October of the same year the tax year ends. <\/p>\n\n\n<\/div> <!-- .c-body -->\n\n<div class=\"b-highlight-mini m-neutral m-align-left\">\n    <div class=\"b-block-body\">\n        <p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Key dates in the current <\/span><b>2025\/26 tax year \ud83d\udc47<\/b><\/p>\n<table>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td><b>Deadline<\/b><\/td>\n<td><b>Date<\/b><\/td>\n<td><b>Year<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Tax year starts<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">6th April<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">2025<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Tax year ends<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">5th April<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">2026<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Register for self assessment<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">5th October<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">2026<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Pay tax bill by PAYE salary<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">30th December<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">2026<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Self assessment deadline<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">31st January<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">2027<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n    <\/div>\n<\/div> <!-- .b-highlight-mini -->\n\n<div class=\"c-body\">\n\n\n\n\n\n<p>After doing your Self Assessment, you\u2019ll be sent what\u2019s known as a Unique Taxpayer Reference (UTR) number. You\u2019ll then use this information to pay your tax bill. Some businesses (especially those in the financial space) will ask you for it before you\u2019re able to work with them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">But how do I <em>do <\/em>my Self Assessment?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>There are a few options:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Do it yourself on HMRC&#8217;s website&nbsp;\u2013 for free, although it\u2019s not super easy to understand how to use it<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Find an accountant and pay them to help you \u2013 pricey, but at least it\u2019s out of your hands<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Give Taxfix a go<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When you do your first tax return, getting Self Assessment help is vital. The world of tax can be very complicated, especially if you\u2019re new to it. Since 2015, the number of fines for tax returns being filed late has risen every year for three years. For tax returns filed more than 30 days late, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":41833,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[299,301],"tags":[102,415,29],"class_list":["post-7037","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","category-tax-basics","tag-hmrc","tag-tax-return-basics","tag-taxscouts"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>I need Self Assessment help! &#8211; Taxfix (formerly TaxScouts)<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"When you first go self-employed, getting Self Assessment help is vital. 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