Time is running out to register for online tax reporting: Workers who fail to request a login risk being fined £100
Workers filing tax returns for the first time only have a few days to apply for a connection, or they risk being fined £100.
Newcomers face a long ten-day wait to receive their government gateway ID, which is needed to submit a self-assessment tax return.
Slow processing times will cause thousands of people to wait until the end of the month to apply for a connection, past the January 31 deadline.
Log in: Beginners must wait ten days to receive their Government Gateway ID, which is required to submit a self-assessment tax return
Self-employed persons and applicants for certain allowances or secondary income have until the end of the month to submit the forms online.
Around 5.7 million self-assessments have yet to be filed, according to HMRC.
In total, he expects more than 12 million workers to submit their declaration before the deadline.
Last year taxpayers had until February 28 to complete their assessment, but HMRC has confirmed there will be no extension this year.
Nimesh Shah, of tax adviser Blick Rothenberg, warns that those who get caught up in the long wait won’t be able to use it as an excuse for late payment.
He says: ‘Don’t leave your return at the 11th hour because HMRC will have no sympathy if you miss the deadline.’
In addition to the one-time late payment penalty of £100, workers who fail to file their declaration on time face additional fines of £10 a day if their return is more than three months late.
For more information, go to gov.uk/self-assessment-tax-return-forms or call 0300 200 3310.
