Nearly 4,800 people filed their self-assessment tax returns on Christmas Day, according to figures from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC).
While others were opening gifts or tucking into turkey, 4,757 people filed their tax returns on Christmas Day, ahead of the deadline for submitting online returns for the 2022/23 tax year on January 31.
HMRC also recorded 8,876 returns submitted on Christmas Eve and 12,136 on Boxing Day.
The peak time was between noon and 12:59pm on Boxing Day when HMRC received 1,121 returns.
Getting it done ahead of the January 31 deadline means less stress and longer to work out payment options— Myrtle Lloyd, HMRC
Myrtle Lloyd, HMRC’s director general for customer services, said: “Our Christmas Day filers proved that there is no time like the present to get started on self-assessment, and with our online tool it can be a simple task that’s easy to fit around other festive commitments.
“There’s no need to delay, getting it done ahead of the January 31 deadline means less stress and longer to work out payment options. Get started today by searching ‘self-assessment’ on gov.uk.”
HMRC has resources online including video tutorials on YouTube, help and support on gov.uk, to support customers in completing their tax returns.
People can choose to pay through the free and secure HMRC app.
If customers cannot pay in full by the deadline, they may be able to set up a “time to pay” arrangement online if the amount owed is less than £30,000.
People should also watch out for scams and should never share their HMRC login details with anyone – even a tax agent if they have one. HMRC scams advice is available on gov.uk.
