HMRC sees trebling of 'day 1' tax filing online
James
More than 63,500 customers filed their 2020/2021 tax return online on 6 April 2021, the first day of the tax year, according to HM Revenue and Customs.
"There are many advantages to completing your Self Assessment tax return sooner rather than later, not least that if you’re due tax refund you’ll get the money within a few days," said Myrtle Lloyd, HMRC’s Director General for Customer Services.
These early filers represent almost 7% of the 934,501 online Self Assessment tax returns for the 2020/2021 tax year, received as of 17 May 2021.
The proportion of 'day 1' tax filers has steadily increased over the past five years - almost trebling since 2017, though there has been a marked hit year-on-year, attributable to the disruptive impact of the pandemic.
Figures for the number of online Self Assessment filers on 6 April for the last 5 tax years:
| Date | Online returns received (and corresponding tax year) |
|---|---|
| 06/04/2017 | 22,885 (2016/17) |
| 06/04/2018 | 36,939 (2017/18) |
| 06/04/2019 | 35,255 (2018/19) |
| 06/04/2020 | 96,519 (2019/20) |
| 06/04/2021 |
63,521 (2020/21) |
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