Always Rely on the Ladies

Females more punctual with their tax returns

HMRC analysis has revealed that women are more dependable than men when it comes to filing their tax returns on time.

Last year, for every 10,000 tax returns received by HMRC from men, 394 were after the relevant deadline (31st October for paper tax returns and 31st January for electronic returns), whereas for every 10,000 received from women, 358 were late.

Gender trends were not the only significant difference in filing behaviour, as age was also a factor. For those people aged 18-20, 1,085 in every 10,000 tax returns were filed late. In sharp contrast, those aged 65 or over were the most punctual, with only 155 out of every 10,000 missing the deadline, leading the Revenue to conclude that the older you are, the more likely you are to send in your tax return on time.

HMRC’s analysis also threw up some differences between workers in different industries, with those in the agriculture, fishing and forestry industry receiving a pat on the back. A snap shot of the pecking order revealed:

Battle for most punctual in the UK was won by Northern Ireland with 301 late returns per 10,000, followed by those in Wales (346 per 10,000), England (374 per 10,000) and Scotland (391 per 10,000). The figure for the United Kingdom as a whole was 372 late filers per 10,000.

Regionally the statistics were:

HMRC Director General of Personal Tax, Ruth Owen, said, “Whatever your gender, age, occupation or location, if you haven’t sent in your 2013-14 tax return, you need to take action now.

HMRC offers a range of help and advice. But don’t leave it until the last minute to contact us. Do it now, and avoid a last-minute rush to beat the deadline.”