Are you an early-bird tax payer?

Nearly 66,500 tax payers filed their 2021 to 2022 tax return on the first day of the new tax year (6 April 2022), HMRC has confirmed.

In recent years, there has been an increasing number of ‘early-bird’ customers filing their completed self assessment tax returns at the start of the new tax year – almost 30,000 more customers filed their returns on 6 April this year, compared to 2018 – and HMRC is encouraging others to change their filing habits and do it as soon as they can.

HMRC said while many wait until nearer the annual filing deadline on 31 January, for some it is an opportunity to beat the last-minute rush and get it done as soon as they can, while they have the relevant information to hand.

Customers who file their tax return early could benefit from:

  • Receiving a tax refund on any overpaid tax from the 2021 to 2022 tax year sooner. Once a customer has filed their tax return, they can check if a repayment is due via their Personal Tax Account
  • Managing their tax bill via direct debit. Customers can use the Budget Payment Plan service to set up weekly or monthly direct debit payments to spread the cost of any tax owed. The self assessment tax payment deadline for balancing payments remains unchanged – 31 January 2023

Myrtle Lloyd, HMRC’s Director General for Customer Services, said: “You don’t need to wait for the January rush to send us your tax return. More and more people are getting theirs out of the way early – search ‘Self Assessment’ on GOV.UK to get started.”