A press release detailing the number of online filings made for the 2010/11 self-assessment returns has been issued by HMRC. The use of the online service continues to grow year on year. This year a total of over 7.65 million online filings were made by the deadline. The deadline for this year remained at 31 January 2012 but HMRC have confirmed that they will treat all online tax returns received by midnight on 2 February 2012 as if they had been received on 31 January 2012 due to the possibility of industrial action at HMRC call centres.
The highest numbers of returns were made on the 31 January 2011 when 445,000 online filings were made. HMRC’s news release on the subject included some interesting statistics on online filings with 1,100 people filing online on Christmas Day; 3,512 on Boxing Day; 11,648 on New Year’s Eve; and 8,935 on New Year’s Day. HMRC even drew attention to the fact that 102 people put their New Year celebrations on hold to file their return between 11pm and midnight on 31 December 2011.
Any returns that were filed after the 31 January 2011 deadline (with the exception of those returns submitted on 1 / 2 February) will be subject to the new penalty regime which begins with the 2010/11 self-assessment returns. The £100 penalty for late submission of the self-assessment returns applies even if taxpayers have no tax to pay or have paid any tax due on time.