Putting off filling in your dreaded tax return? This complete guide takes you through the process step-by-step so can file your self-assessment tax return in just minutes. 

Our latest student money survey revealed that 8% of students make money through self-employment – and we’re constantly being inspired by students who make money by setting up their own unique businesses.

The independence of working for yourself is great and there’s the potential for big money, but it does mean you have to take responsibility for your own taxes – and that means submitting a self-assessment tax return every January.

It can seem like a daunting task that will take you hours, but our guide will help make the process as quick and painless as possible (and will help you avoid paying any penalties).

Do you need to do a self-assessment tax return?

Most people get their income tax automatically deducted from their wage each month so they don’t need to worry about it – unless you overpay, in which case you could be due a refund.

But if you make money in other ways (for example, from freelance work or running your own business) you’ll have to complete a self-assessment tax return to tell HMRC how much you’ve earned and therefore how much tax you owe.

You need to complete a self-assessment tax return if you’re:

• Self-employed
• A sole trader (business owner)
• In a business partnership
• Not self-employed but you have an additional income stream and you’re earning more than £1,000 a year

Other income streams required in a self-assessment tax return include:

How to submit a HMRC tax return

1. Register with HMRC

   First things first: you’ll need to register yourself as either self-employed, not self-employed (but earning untaxed income) or as a partner in a business partnership.

   If you’ve submitted a tax return before, but didn’t send one for the last tax year, you’ll probably have to re-register.

   Once you’ve registered you’ll receive a Unique Taxpayer Reference (UTR) and an account for the Self Assessment online service, which you use to complete your tax return and pay your tax.

   You’ll be sent a code in the post within 10 working days which you’ll need to use to activate your account online within 28 days of receiving it.

   Remember that the deadline for registering is earlier than the deadline for completing your tax return – check the latest deadline dates below.

2. Submit your tax return

   First of all you should gather together all the information you need to be able to complete your tax return. This includes your National Insurance Number, your Unique Taxpayer Reference, bank statements showing your income and interest statements from your savings.

   You can complete your tax return by filling out a paper form or completing it online, but if you choose the paper option make sure you send it off in plenty of time to meet the deadline.

   The form can seem really daunting but bear in mind that you only need to fill in the parts that are relevant to you and your situation.

   In fact, if you’re doing it online the form will automatically respond to your answers and remove sections that don’t apply to you. What’s more, you can save and come back at any time if you can’t stomach it all in one go.

   Remember that you have to report all the income you’ve earned in the previous tax year (April to April). HMRC have loads of advice and guidance to direct you through the form and show you where all the relevant information goes.

3. Pay your tax to HMRC

   This is where things start to get real – it’s time to pay your tax! How much tax you owe depends on the income tax band you’re in, and HMRC will calculate this based on what you declare in your self-assessment form.

   Paying tax this way can be tricky to budget, and having a big lump sum of tax taken out of your account at once could leave you feeling the pinch.

   It’s best to set aside some money regularly throughout the year for this purpose, or you could set up a budget payment plan to pay your tax in regular instalments throughout the year instead.

   The deadline for paying your tax is the same date as the deadline for submitting your tax return: the 31st January of the year after the tax year. In other words, for the tax year of April 2017 – April 2018, the deadline for submitting your return is the 31st January 2019.

   If the deadline falls on a weekend or bank holiday, make sure your payment reaches HMRC on the last working day before this (unless you’re paying by Faster Payment or debit/credit card).

   There are loads of different ways to pay but bear in mind that some methods take longer than others, so you’ll have to account for this to ensure you don’t miss the deadline (and face a penalty).

   Same or next day tax payment

   – Online or telephone banking (Faster Payments)
   – CHAPS (Clearing House Automated Payment System)
   – Debit or corporate credit card online
   – At your bank or building society (you’ll need a paying-in slip from HMRC for this)

   Three working days

   – BACS
   – Direct debit (if you’ve set one up with HMRC before)
   – By cheque through the post

   Five working days

   – Direct debit (if you’ve not set one up with HMRC before)

   Once you’ve paid, check your HMRC online account to ensure the payment has gone through – it will take three to six working days to show as paid.

Tax return deadlines

It’s your responsibility to submit your tax return by the deadline, which is always:

• Submitting paper forms: the end of the October immediately following the end of the tax year
• Submitting online: the end of the January immediately following the end of the tax year.

But don’t forget you can submit your tax return anytime from the end of the tax year (5th April 2018 for the 2017/18 tax year).

The deadline for registering for self-assessment is earlier, so don’t leave it to the last minute!

Tax return deadlines 2018

If you miss the deadline, you’ll have to pay a hefty penalty so get that date in your diary and make sure you don’t forget!

What happens if you miss the tax return deadline?

If you miss the tax return deadline you’ll have to pay a penalty, which is £100 if you’re up to three months late. You’ll be charged an even higher fee if you’re later than three months, with interest on top – so don’t miss it!

In some circumstances you can appeal a penalty if you have a reasonable excuse for missing the deadline, but you should never rely on this appeal being successful.

Excuses that may prove successful include the recent death of a partner or an unexpected long stay in hospital, but they’re assessed on a case-by-case basis.

Tax isn’t as scary as it seems once you get to grips with it – clue yourself up with our seven basic tax facts everyone should know!