16/01/2026
Last year alone, 1.1 million people missed the 31 January filing deadline and received completely avoidable Self Assessment penalties.
Not because they’ve done anything wrong, but simply because it was filed or paid late.
The result? £220 million paid to HMRC in fines for late Self Assessment in 2023.
That’s £220m that could have stayed in people’s businesses.
At Sadler Advisory, this is the stuff that drives us up the wall. Because with the right support, these penalties are entirely avoidable. And even if the tax owed is relatively small, the fines can stack up fast and put real pressure on otherwise healthy businesses.
If Self Assessment is on your to-do list, these are the key dates you absolutely need to know:
• 31 October – Paper tax return deadline
• 31 January – Online tax return deadline
• 31 January – Tax payment deadline
• 31 July – Second payment on account (if applicable)
Miss one, and HMRC penalties start clocking up automatically.
We’ve broken down how the penalties work and how to avoid them in our latest blog.
https://www.sadleradvisory.com/post/how-to-avoid-self-assessment-penalties-and-late-payment-fines