Tax return

Nearly 750,000 people missed the 31 January self-assessment tax deadline – if you're one of them, here's what you need to know.

Aliens, rabbits and spilt coffee are among the most unbelievable excuses for late tax returns and expenses given to HM Revenue & Customs recently.

Millions of taxpayers have until 31 January to file their online self-assessment tax return. Act NOW to avoid a £100 fine for missing the deadline – especially if you're filing online for the first time or don't know your login details.

Time is running out for millions of taxpayers to file their online self-assessment tax return by the end of the month. Act NOW to avoid a £100 fine for missing the deadline – especially if you're filing online for the first time, as it could take up to 10 days for first-time filers to receive an activation code.

Self-assessment tax-return filers could face a 'penalty points' system if they miss deadlines while tardy tax-bill payers face fines of up to triple the current maximum, under Government proposals unveiled this week.

If you're one of the 4.5 million people who've yet to file an online self-assessment tax return and need to do so, act now to make sure you don't miss the deadline.

HM Revenue and Customs is setting £45 million aside to improve customer service after figures show that 7.2 million phone calls made to it in the last year went through to a 'busy' tone instead of the caller being able to speak to someone.

If you need to file a paper self-assessment tax return and haven't already done so, do it now to avoid a hefty fine as the deadline is fast approaching . But if you do miss the deadline, don't file by paper – do it online instead.

Copycat websites that charge customers for Government and other services, which are usually free, will find it harder to lure in victims after a crackdown by Google.