New figures from HMRC have revealed that more than 40,000 individuals found time between a turkey dinner and lodging their 2023-24 self-assessment tax return over the festive period.
While many were eating leftover Christmas food or gathering around the television, 4,400 people submitted their returns online on Christmas Day itself. A further 11,932 people replaced Boxing Day sales by registering, with 23,731 people preparing their returns on Christmas Eve rather than leaving them until the last minute.
Myrtle Lloyd, general manager of client services at HMRC, praised early applicants for providing peace of mind before the start of the New Year celebrations. She added: “For anyone who hasn’t started yet, our online service is available all year round – enough time to get it done before January 31.”
Taxpayers who file online by 30 December can choose to pay any tax due through their PAYE tax code, while the payment deadline remains 31 January 2025.