Self assessment: filing now needs to be online

Online deadline for self assessment is 31 January

FOR self-employed tradesmen and directors of small businesses, you must remember to send in your 2009/10 Self Assessment tax return.

If you haven’t done so, this will now need to be filed online: the deadline for filing on paper has already passed, which was the end of October. If you still go ahead and file a paper return, there will be a a £100 penalty.

Filing online shouldn’t be a problem, though. Last year, more than 6.4m taxpayers filed their self assessment returns online and on-time. HMRC says this was a record number.

If you’re filing your return online for the first time, you’ll first need to register for online filing at www.hmrc.gov.uk/online. You’ll be given a User ID, and an Activation Code will be posted to you within seven working days. Once you