HMRC set to pocket £110m in late Self Assessment fines

Despite a record-breaking number of tax return submissions, over one million are still outstanding – with HMRC set to pocket at least £110m in fines

HMRC has announced a record-breaking number of Self Assessment tax returns were filed by last week’s 31st January deadline, with more than 11.5m received on time.

The total of 11,581,962 represents around 95% of the number expected (12, 187,811), with almost 780,000 taxpayers racing against the clock on the day of the deadline to ensure they got their submissions filed on time.

This includes almost 33,000 who left it until “the frantic hour between 11pm and midnight”, but the peak filing period took place between 4-5 pm. This period saw 61,549 taxpayers submitting their returns before clocking off for the weekend.

Myrtle Lloyd, HMRC’s Director General for Customer Services, expressed gratitude to those who met their obligations on time while encouraging late filers to act swiftly.

“Thank you to the millions of Self Assessment customers and agents who met the deadline”, Lloyd said.

“Anyone who has yet to file and is concerned that they cannot pay in full may be able to spread the cost of what they owe with a payment plan”, she added.

Late submissions to land HMRC at least £110m in fines

However, as many as 1.1m missed the Self Assessment deadline and have incurred immediate £100 fines as a result. Additional penalties apply over time, including:

£10 per day after three months, up to a maximum of £900
A further 5% of the tax due or £300 after six months, whichever is greater
An additional 5% of tax due or £300 after 12 months

Late tax bill payments are also subject to separate penalties and interest charges. HMRC is calling on those who are yet to file their returns or settle any outstanding tax liabilities to do so as soon as possible.

Anyone facing financial difficulties can also explore HMRC’s ‘Time to Pay’ option, though this may only be available to those who have previously made timely payments to settle outstanding tax liabilities.

The 2025 Self Assessment deadline: facts and figures

12,187,811 Self Assessment returns due
11,581,962 returns received by 31 January (including expected returns, voluntary returns and late registrations)
97.11% of returns were filed online, compared to just 2.89% by post

Scam risk heightened following deadline

In recent years HMRC has received increasing numbers of reports about tax scams following the Self Assessment deadline. Around half these are related to offers of tax refunds, and others are false demands for unpaid tax bills.

As such, the tax authority has urged vigilance and issued a reminder that taxpayers “should never share their HMRC login details with anyone”. If you believe you have received fraudulent contact, you can report it to HMRC using the contact details below: