Key dates

Key UK tax dates and thresholds: Self Assessment, Making Tax Digital and VAT

General information, not tax adviceEvery figure here is quoted from GOV.UK, with the tax year it applies to. Your own position can differ, so check your HMRC online account and the linked GOV.UK page, or speak to a qualified accountant.

Start here

This page collects the dates and figures that come up most often for sole traders and people who send a Self Assessment tax return. Each one is quoted from the GOV.UK page we link to, as it read on 8 November 2026.

It's general information, not tax advice. Your own dates can differ, for example if HMRC has written to you with a different deadline, so always check your HMRC online account and the GOV.UK page.

Self Assessment: the 2025 to 2026 tax year

GOV.UK's Self Assessment deadlines page says the last tax year started on 6 April 2025 and ended on 5 April 2026. For that tax year:

• 5 October 2026: the date to tell HMRC you need to complete a tax return, if you haven't sent one before, or if you registered before but didn't need to send a return for the 2024 to 2025 tax year.
• 31 October 2026, 11:59pm: HMRC must receive a paper tax return by then.
• 30 December 2026, 11:59pm: submit your online return by then if you want to pay your Self Assessment bill through your tax code.
• 31 January 2027, 11:59pm: the deadline for online tax returns, and for paying the tax you owe.

If you register after 5 October 2026, GOV.UK says HMRC will send you a letter or email with a different deadline for your return, 3 months from the date on it. You must still pay the tax you owe by 11:59pm on 31 January 2027.

Payments on account

According to the GOV.UK page on payments on account, these are payments towards your next tax bill, including Class 4 National Insurance if you're self-employed. Each one is usually half of the tax you owed the previous year, and they're due by midnight on 31 January and 31 July.

You don't have to make them if the tax you owed last year was less than £1,000, or if last year you paid more than 80% of the tax you owed outside Self Assessment, for example through your tax code.

Late filing and late payment penalties

The GOV.UK page on Self Assessment penalties lists these late filing penalties:

• an initial £100 penalty
• after 3 months, additional daily penalties of £10 per day, up to a maximum of £900
• after 6 months, a further penalty of 5% of the tax due or £300, whichever is greater
• after 12 months, another 5% or £300 charge, whichever is greater

For paying late, GOV.UK says you'll get penalties of 5% of the tax unpaid at 30 days, 6 months and 12 months, and you'll be charged interest on the amount owed.

Making Tax Digital for Income Tax

The GOV.UK page Find out if and when you need to use Making Tax Digital for Income Tax says it applies to sole traders and landlords registered for Self Assessment whose qualifying income is over the threshold for the tax year. If your qualifying income is over:

• £50,000 for the 2024 to 2025 tax year, you should've started using it from 6 April 2026
• £30,000 for the 2025 to 2026 tax year, you'll need to use it from 6 April 2027
• £20,000 for the 2026 to 2027 tax year, you'll need to use it from 6 April 2028

Qualifying income is your total income from self-employment and property before expenses. Once you're using it, GOV.UK's page on sending quarterly updates gives the update deadlines as 7 August, 7 November, 7 February and 7 May (the following tax year). HMRC won't apply penalty points for late quarterly updates during the 2026 to 2027 tax year.

VAT registration

GOV.UK's Register for VAT page says you must register if your total taxable turnover for the last 12 months goes over £90,000 (the VAT threshold), or if you expect it to go over £90,000 in the next 30 days. You can choose to register if your turnover is less than £90,000.

If you went over the threshold in the last 12 months, you have to register within 30 days of the end of the month when you went over it. The VAT rates page gives the standard rate as 20%, with a reduced rate of 5% and a zero rate for some goods and services.

The trading allowance and registering as a sole trader

The GOV.UK page on tax-free allowances on property and trading income describes the trading allowance as a tax exemption of up to £1,000 a year. If you use it, you can't deduct any other expenses or allowances.

GOV.UK's Register as a sole trader page says you must register as a sole trader if you earn more than £1,000 in a tax year (6 April to 5 April). You register by registering for Self Assessment, and you'll need a National Insurance number.

How long to keep records

GOV.UK's page on how long to keep your records says that if you're self-employed you must keep your records for at least 5 years after the 31 January submission deadline of the relevant tax year.

The dates in one table

A note on this page

This page is general information about UK tax rules, quoted from GOV.UK. It isn't tax or financial advice and it doesn't cover every situation. Rules and figures change, so please check the linked GOV.UK page, or speak to a qualified accountant or tax adviser, before you act.