⚠️ Late Returns & Penalties · UK-Wide

Late Self-Assessment Tax Return & Penalty Help

Missed the 31 January deadline, or behind on several years? It is fixable, and the sooner it is dealt with the less it costs. We file your outstanding returns, deal with HMRC, appeal penalties where there is a reasonable excuse, and arrange Time to Pay if you cannot clear the bill at once.

HMRC Registered AgentMulti-Year ArrearsPenalty AppealsTime to PayFixed Fees

Late Self-Assessment, UK

Behind on Returns? It Is Fixable, and Waiting Makes It Worse.

HMRC charges an automatic £100 penalty the moment a Self Assessment return is late, even if you owe no tax. After three months it adds £10 a day, up to £900. At six months and again at twelve months it adds a further 5% of the tax due or £300, whichever is greater. On top of that, late payment of the tax itself attracts interest and its own 5% surcharges at thirty days, six months and twelve months. The penalties stack quickly, which is exactly why the worst thing to do is nothing.

Your Tax Help Accountants brings late filers back on track every week. Whether you have missed one deadline or have several years of arrears, a missing UTR or a stack of HMRC letters, we take it over. We register or re-register you, file every outstanding return in the right order, agree a Time to Pay arrangement with HMRC if the tax cannot be paid immediately, and submit penalty appeals where there is a reasonable excuse. Most cases are fully back on track within four to six weeks, and the stress lifts the moment someone else is handling it.

The penalties only grow with time, but they stop the moment your returns are filed. The single most expensive thing you can do is keep putting it off, the cheapest is to deal with it now.

What We Handle

How We Get You Back On Track, Fixed Fee

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Multi-Year Arrears

One missed year or several, we file every outstanding return in the correct order and bring your whole position up to date.

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HMRC Penalty Letters

We deal directly with HMRC, respond to penalty notices and correspond on your behalf as your authorised agent, so the letters stop landing on you.

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Penalty Appeals

Where there is a reasonable excuse, illness, bereavement, HMRC error and more, we appeal the penalties and frequently get them reduced or cancelled.

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Time to Pay

If you cannot clear the tax at once, we negotiate a Time to Pay instalment arrangement with HMRC so it is spread over manageable months.

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Missing UTR & Registration

Never registered, or lost your UTR? We register or re-register you for Self Assessment and get your UTR so filing can begin.

Claims You Missed

While bringing you up to date we claim the expenses and reliefs that were missed, which often reduces the bill the penalties were calculated on.

Several Years Behind, or a Penalty Letter You Are Ignoring?

Multi-year arrears feel overwhelming, which is exactly why people leave them, and the penalties grow while they do. It is far more routine to fix than it feels. We have brought clients back from five and six years of missed returns. We sort the filings, deal with the penalties, and arrange a payment plan if needed, so it becomes a closed chapter rather than a constant worry.

Recent Client Outcome

How we cleared three years of arrears and halved the penalties

A self-employed courier came to us with three years of unfiled returns and a drawer of HMRC penalty letters he had stopped opening. He assumed the bill would be enormous and had frozen, which only made it worse as the daily and six-month penalties accrued.

We registered as his agent, requested his UTR details, and filed all three years in order, claiming the mileage and costs he had never recorded, which brought the actual tax down significantly. We then appealed the penalties on the years where there were grounds and negotiated a Time to Pay arrangement for the balance.

The claimed expenses and the successful appeals roughly halved what he owed in penalties and tax combined, and the Time to Pay plan spread the rest over manageable monthly instalments. He is now filed on time each year and no longer dreads the post.

Why Clients Choose Us

Late Returns, Sorted.

  • HMRC-registered agent practice that handles arrears every week.
  • Every outstanding year filed in the correct order.
  • HMRC penalty letters dealt with directly, so they stop landing on you.
  • Penalty appeals submitted wherever there is a reasonable excuse.
  • Time to Pay arrangements negotiated for tax you cannot clear at once.
  • Missed expenses claimed, which often reduces the underlying bill.
  • One accountant from start to finish, no call centre, no churn.
  • Fully online, so we help late filers anywhere in the UK.
£100
Automatic penalty the moment a return is late, even if no tax is due
£10/day
Added after three months late, up to a further £900
5%
Of tax due added at six and twelve months, plus the same on late payment

Late Filing Questions Answered

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the penalty for a late self-assessment return?
An automatic £100 the day it is late, even with no tax owed. After three months, £10 a day up to £900. At six months and twelve months, a further 5% of the tax due or £300 each, whichever is greater. Late payment of the tax adds interest and separate 5% surcharges. We file quickly to stop the clock and appeal where there are grounds.
Can you appeal HMRC penalties?
Yes. Where there is a reasonable excuse, such as serious illness, bereavement, a genuine HMRC error or other circumstances beyond your control, we submit an appeal and frequently get penalties reduced or cancelled. We assess your situation honestly and only appeal where there is a real case.
I have several years of unfiled returns, can you help?
Absolutely, this is routine for us. We register or re-register you, recover your UTR, and file every outstanding year in the correct order, claiming the expenses that were missed. Most multi-year cases are fully up to date within four to six weeks of starting.
I cannot afford the tax bill, what are my options?
We negotiate a Time to Pay arrangement with HMRC, which spreads the tax over monthly instalments you can manage. Arranging this properly, with your returns filed and the numbers agreed, is far better than ignoring the debt and letting surcharges build.
How much does it cost to sort late returns?
A fixed fee, quoted up front after a free fifteen-minute call, with no surprise bills. The expenses we claim and the penalties we appeal often save more than the fee, and you get the certainty of being fully back on track.

Get Back On Track Today

Free fifteen-minute call. We file your outstanding returns, deal with HMRC, appeal penalties where we can and arrange Time to Pay if needed. Same accountant, start to finish.

Or email info@yourtaxhelp.co.uk, we typically respond within two business hours.

📅 Free consultation calls available weekdays 1pm to 3pm. Pick a slot that suits you.

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