{"id":7055,"date":"2024-01-02T10:38:34","date_gmt":"2024-01-02T10:38:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/taxfix.com\/en-uk\/?p=7055"},"modified":"2025-09-15T16:26:30","modified_gmt":"2025-09-15T15:26:30","slug":"how-to-file-a-tax-return","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/taxfix.com\/en-uk\/blog\/how-to-file-a-tax-return\/","title":{"rendered":"How to file a tax return"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Want to know how to file a tax return? It can be a point of much confusion among the newly self-employed and anyone else who needs to file, but it\u2019s not as complicated as you might think. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>All you need is organisation and a handy step-by-step guide.&nbsp;Luckily for you, we\u2019ve got the guide. And once you\u2019ve read it, you\u2019ll be as organised as you need to be to take on your tax return like a pro.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">1. Tell HMRC you need to file<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Before you can pay your tax bill, you have to let HMRC know that you\u2019re making untaxed income. You can do this online <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.uk\/log-in-file-self-assessment-tax-return\/register-if-youre-self-employed\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">here<\/a>. It\u2019s what\u2019s known as a Self Assessment. You\u2019ll just need to fill in a few details about your income and then HMRC will send you your Unique Taxpayer Reference (UTR) number in the post.<\/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\">2. Why do I need a UTR number?&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>HMRC uses your UTR number to identify you as a taxpayer. You need a UTR number if you\u2019re:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Self-employed<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Employed and earning more than \u00a31,000 freelance income<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A landlord<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>An investor earning profits over the tax-free allowances<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Claiming additional or too much pension tax relief&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>HMRC will send your UTR number roughly 10 working days after you\u2019ve done your Self Assessment. Make sure that you keep this somewhere safe as you\u2019ll need it to do your tax returns from this point.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">3. Record your income&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The tax you pay is calculated based on your income during the tax year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The tax year goes from the 6th April to the 5th April across any given two-year. <\/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>The best way to record your income is with a yearly spreadsheet split into monthly tabs &#8211; from April to April. Make sure to include all of your untaxed income to declare to HMRC.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">4. Record your expenses<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>As a sole trader, you can deduct your business expenses from your income to reduce the amount of tax you pay at the end of the year. Business expenses can be anything from:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Uniform<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Accounting costs<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Marketing costs<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Laptop, work phone, software etc.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Equipment<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Business mileage<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">5. Get the key dates in the diary<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>There are a few dates to bear in mind:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The <a href=\"https:\/\/taxfix.com\/en-uk\/what-is-the-tax-year\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">tax year<\/a> &#8211; 6th April &#8211; 5th April<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Register for Self Assessment online &#8211; 5th October<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Tax return deadline &#8211; 31st January<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Payment on Account &#8211; 31st July<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">6. Get ready to file a tax return<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The moment of truth. Get the tax return filed and paid!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There are three ways to do this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Do it yourself for free with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.uk\/pay-self-assessment-tax-bill\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">HMRC<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Pay an accountant to do it<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Sign up to <a href=\"https:\/\/taxfix.com\/en-uk\/blog\/how-to-file-a-tax-return\/#signup\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Taxfix<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Want to know how to file a tax return? It can be a point of much confusion among the newly self-employed and anyone else who needs to file, but it\u2019s not as complicated as you might think. All you need is organisation and a handy step-by-step guide.&nbsp;Luckily for you, we\u2019ve got the guide. And once [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":41811,"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-7055","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>How to file a tax return &#8211; Taxfix (formerly TaxScouts)<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Want to know how to file a tax return? It can be a point confusion among the newly self-employed, but it\u2019s not as complicated as you think.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/taxfix.com\/en-uk\/blog\/how-to-file-a-tax-return\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How to file a tax return &#8211; Taxfix (formerly TaxScouts)\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Want to know how to file a tax return? It can be a point confusion among the newly self-employed, but it\u2019s not as complicated as you think.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/taxfix.com\/en-uk\/blog\/how-to-file-a-tax-return\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Taxfix\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/taxfix_uk\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-01-02T10:38:34+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-09-15T15:26:30+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/taxfix.com\/en-uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/25Q3_TS_Rebrand_UK_Website_Content_Blog-and-guides_how-to-file-a-tax-return.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1280\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"672\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Gemma Doswell\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@Taxfix\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@Taxfix\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/taxfix.com\/en-uk\/blog\/how-to-file-a-tax-return\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/taxfix.com\/en-uk\/blog\/how-to-file-a-tax-return\/\",\"name\":\"How to file a tax return &#8211; Taxfix (formerly TaxScouts)\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/taxfix.com\/en-uk\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/taxfix.com\/en-uk\/blog\/how-to-file-a-tax-return\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/taxfix.com\/en-uk\/blog\/how-to-file-a-tax-return\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/taxfix.com\/en-uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/25Q3_TS_Rebrand_UK_Website_Content_Blog-and-guides_how-to-file-a-tax-return.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-01-02T10:38:34+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-09-15T15:26:30+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/taxfix.com\/en-uk\/#\/schema\/person\/008d0d859b00d5809e35d143dff5dd4a\"},\"description\":\"Want to know how to file a tax return? It can be a point confusion among the newly self-employed, but it\u2019s not as complicated as you think.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/taxfix.com\/en-uk\/blog\/how-to-file-a-tax-return\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/taxfix.com\/en-uk\/blog\/how-to-file-a-tax-return\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/taxfix.com\/en-uk\/blog\/how-to-file-a-tax-return\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/taxfix.com\/en-uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/25Q3_TS_Rebrand_UK_Website_Content_Blog-and-guides_how-to-file-a-tax-return.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/taxfix.com\/en-uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/25Q3_TS_Rebrand_UK_Website_Content_Blog-and-guides_how-to-file-a-tax-return.png\",\"width\":1280,\"height\":672,\"caption\":\"How to file a tax return\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/taxfix.com\/en-uk\/blog\/how-to-file-a-tax-return\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/taxfix.com\/en-uk\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"How to file a tax return\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/taxfix.com\/en-uk\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/taxfix.com\/en-uk\/\",\"name\":\"Taxfix\",\"description\":\"Taxes as they should be done\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/taxfix.com\/en-uk\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/taxfix.com\/en-uk\/#\/schema\/person\/008d0d859b00d5809e35d143dff5dd4a\",\"name\":\"Gemma Doswell\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/taxfix.com\/en-uk\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0ee123e7e4df1efafc651aa2721860dbf529c4458f2fd6d13cdb62e8f05ffc2f?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0ee123e7e4df1efafc651aa2721860dbf529c4458f2fd6d13cdb62e8f05ffc2f?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Gemma Doswell\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"How to file a tax return &#8211; Taxfix (formerly TaxScouts)","description":"Want to know how to file a tax return? It can be a point confusion among the newly self-employed, but it\u2019s not as complicated as you think.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/taxfix.com\/en-uk\/blog\/how-to-file-a-tax-return\/","og_locale":"en_GB","og_type":"article","og_title":"How to file a tax return &#8211; Taxfix (formerly TaxScouts)","og_description":"Want to know how to file a tax return? It can be a point confusion among the newly self-employed, but it\u2019s not as complicated as you think.","og_url":"https:\/\/taxfix.com\/en-uk\/blog\/how-to-file-a-tax-return\/","og_site_name":"Taxfix","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/taxfix_uk","article_published_time":"2024-01-02T10:38:34+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-09-15T15:26:30+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1280,"height":672,"url":"https:\/\/taxfix.com\/en-uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/25Q3_TS_Rebrand_UK_Website_Content_Blog-and-guides_how-to-file-a-tax-return.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"Gemma Doswell","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@Taxfix","twitter_site":"@Taxfix","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/taxfix.com\/en-uk\/blog\/how-to-file-a-tax-return\/","url":"https:\/\/taxfix.com\/en-uk\/blog\/how-to-file-a-tax-return\/","name":"How to file a tax return &#8211; Taxfix (formerly TaxScouts)","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/taxfix.com\/en-uk\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/taxfix.com\/en-uk\/blog\/how-to-file-a-tax-return\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/taxfix.com\/en-uk\/blog\/how-to-file-a-tax-return\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/taxfix.com\/en-uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/25Q3_TS_Rebrand_UK_Website_Content_Blog-and-guides_how-to-file-a-tax-return.png","datePublished":"2024-01-02T10:38:34+00:00","dateModified":"2025-09-15T15:26:30+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/taxfix.com\/en-uk\/#\/schema\/person\/008d0d859b00d5809e35d143dff5dd4a"},"description":"Want to know how to file a tax return? It can be a point confusion among the newly self-employed, but it\u2019s not as complicated as you think.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/taxfix.com\/en-uk\/blog\/how-to-file-a-tax-return\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/taxfix.com\/en-uk\/blog\/how-to-file-a-tax-return\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/taxfix.com\/en-uk\/blog\/how-to-file-a-tax-return\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/taxfix.com\/en-uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/25Q3_TS_Rebrand_UK_Website_Content_Blog-and-guides_how-to-file-a-tax-return.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/taxfix.com\/en-uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/25Q3_TS_Rebrand_UK_Website_Content_Blog-and-guides_how-to-file-a-tax-return.png","width":1280,"height":672,"caption":"How to file a tax return"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/taxfix.com\/en-uk\/blog\/how-to-file-a-tax-return\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/taxfix.com\/en-uk\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"How to file a tax return"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/taxfix.com\/en-uk\/#website","url":"https:\/\/taxfix.com\/en-uk\/","name":"Taxfix","description":"Taxes as they should be done","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/taxfix.com\/en-uk\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/taxfix.com\/en-uk\/#\/schema\/person\/008d0d859b00d5809e35d143dff5dd4a","name":"Gemma Doswell","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/taxfix.com\/en-uk\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0ee123e7e4df1efafc651aa2721860dbf529c4458f2fd6d13cdb62e8f05ffc2f?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0ee123e7e4df1efafc651aa2721860dbf529c4458f2fd6d13cdb62e8f05ffc2f?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Gemma Doswell"}}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/taxfix.com\/en-uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7055","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/taxfix.com\/en-uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/taxfix.com\/en-uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/taxfix.com\/en-uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/taxfix.com\/en-uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7055"}],"version-history":[{"count":19,"href":"https:\/\/taxfix.com\/en-uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7055\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":41812,"href":"https:\/\/taxfix.com\/en-uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7055\/revisions\/41812"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/taxfix.com\/en-uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/41811"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/taxfix.com\/en-uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7055"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/taxfix.com\/en-uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7055"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/taxfix.com\/en-uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7055"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}