Your returnReady
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HMRC's penalties are automatic and they stack. Pick a date after 31 January and see the bill, with or without tax owed.
The deadline is 31 January 2027. Pick a later date to see what it costs.
Leave at 0 to see the filing penalties alone. The sole trader and landlord estimators give you a figure.
Bank of England base rate plus 4 points. Check the current figure on GOV.UK.
Nothing you type is saved or sent anywhere.What being late would cost£10045 days late, on top of the tax.
Missed the deadline
1 February 2027£100.00
1 February 2027£100.00
HMRC’s penalty rules for Self Assessment, assuming you file and pay on the same day. Reasonable excuse appeals exist but are the exception. An estimate, not advice.
Missed it? Do this now.
Five steps, in order.
What to do today
Step What to do 1. File today, not next week The £100 is already charged. The £10 a day starts at three months, so every day before then is free of further filing penalty. 2. Pay what you can Late payment penalties bite at 30 days, so paying some or all of the tax now limits them. Interest runs regardless. 3. Can’t pay in full? Set up Time to Pay in your HMRC account before the 30 days are up. It stops the late payment penalties, not the interest. 4. Had a reasonable excuse? Appeal within 30 days of the penalty notice. Illness, bereavement, flood, HMRC systems down. Being busy doesn’t count. 5. Still not started? Swiftmore reads your bank statement and asks the few questions it can’t place. A late return written tonight is cheaper than one written next month.
What being late costs.
Two sets of penalties, one for the return and one for the tax.
Late filing penalties
When Penalty 1 February £100, even if you owe nothing Three months late £10 a day for up to 90 days, so up to £900 Six months late 5% of the tax due, or £300 if that is more Twelve months late Another 5% or £300. More in serious cases Late payment penalties and interest
Separately, if the tax itself is paid late: 5% of what is unpaid at 30 days, another 5% at six months, another at twelve. Interest runs daily from 31 January at the Bank of England base rate plus 4 points, so the longer the gap the more it adds.
If you can’t pay in full, HMRC’s Time to Pay arrangement, set up online before the deadline, stops the late payment penalties though not the interest.
When HMRC lets you off.
Reasonable excuse
HMRC cancels penalties for a reasonable excuse: a serious illness, a bereavement, a fire or flood, HMRC’s own systems being down. Being busy, not knowing the rules, or waiting on an accountant don’t count. Appeal within 30 days of the penalty notice.
The simplest fix.
File in the autumn. Swiftmore keeps your records all year, so by October the return is mostly written and the bill is known. Filing early doesn’t mean paying early: the tax is still due 31 January.
Start free£99 when you file. No card to start.
Start freeFree to keep records. £99 for a tax year you read and file. No card to start.