If you come up against the need to do your Self-Assessment tax return for the tax year 2025/26, then filing your self-assessment early will help you beat the January deadline. According to HMRC, individuals are able to start completing and submitting their Self-Assessment tax return online starting from 6 April 2026, while the regular due date for submission of such forms via online means is 11:59 pm on 31 January 2027.
It might be particularly beneficial for individuals whose taxes are going to be overpaid. Indeed, according to HMRC, if there is an overpayment in your tax return, you will be able to claim back your money after the return is submitted. Or, in other words, by filing your Self-Assessment early, you may receive any refund you have earned sooner than in January.
On the other hand, considering that Christmas is approaching, the earlier filing will help you to understand the tax situation and budget accordingly. However, receiving your tax refund by Christmas is not guaranteed because HMRC has to evaluate your tax return and repay your debt if there is one.
What Is the 2025/26 Self-Assessment Tax Year?
The 2025/26 tax year will be between 6 April 2025 and 5 April 2026. If you have to make a Self-Assessment for this year, you can do it online starting from 6 April 2026.
Self-Assessment is employed by Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) to make sure that people pay their Income Tax, which was not paid using the PAYE system. People who might need Self-Assessment may include self-employed individuals, landlords and those with some other sources of income.
Important dates for 2025/26 Self-Assessment
| Requirements | Date |
| End of 2025/26 tax year | 5 April 2026 |
| Opening of online filing service | 6 April 2026 |
| Deadline for paper returns | 31 October 2026 |
| Deadline for online Self-Assessment returns | 31 January 2027 |
| Deadline for making tax payments | 31 January 2027 |
| Deadline for making tax payments under PAYE tax code, where applicable | 30 December 2026 |
According to HMRC, online returns should generally be submitted by 31 January 2027. Where there is a desire for HMRC to deduct a bill for Self-Assessment of less than £3,000 from your tax code, other requirements are needed, and online returns should generally be submitted by 30 December 2026.
Why Should You File Self-Assessment Early?
Even though it seems easier to file taxes late, you will be under tremendous pressure. Those people who pay their taxes should consider the fact whether it is convenient for them to file their Self-Assessment earlier rather than later in January.
The following are some of the things you will be able to do if you file your self-assessment early, according to the guidelines from HMRC:
- Receive your tax refund early if you are eligible for it
- Find out the amount of tax that you are supposed to pay
- Plan your tax budget early enough
- Avoid the last-minute pressures
- Discover any errors you might have made
- File your self-assessment without subjecting yourself to unnecessary pressure
Needless to say, filing taxes early does not necessarily mean that you will be paying your taxes early. If you file your self-assessment early for the 2025/26 year and owe taxes, the deadline to make the tax payment will remain 31 January 2027.
Therefore, it is good whichever way you look at it.
Can You Receive a Self-Assessment Refund before Christmas?
Yes, you can receive a self-assessment refund before Christmas, but there is no need to treat it as something which always happens for sure.
As stated by HMRC, if, according to your calculations in Self-Assessment, you pay too much tax during the 2025/26 tax year, then you can make a claim for a refund of tax. The sooner your self-assessment is submitted, the more time there will be for HMRC to process it.
However, there are some factors that could influence the amount of time taken before receiving your tax refund. The first of them is that HMRC may check if you actually need the repayment. Sometimes, the repayment goes to cover another tax bill.
As noted by HMRC, if you have another tax due in the next 45 days, then you won’t receive the money as the repayment will be used to cover other tax debts.
Who Could Be Entitled to a Refund?
There is no guarantee of an automatic refund if one does an assessment return. It will be seen that whether one gets a refund or not will all boil down to how the tax calculation goes for the individual. One could see that they have overpaid their tax if:
- Their taxable income comes out to be less than what was calculated.
- They had paid tax on account of having a higher income in previous years.
- They have deductions and allowances that lower their taxable income.
- Excessive tax deduction is made from certain sources of income.
- They see from their assessment calculation that they have paid taxes exceeding their liability.
This clearly demonstrates the point that it is not assumed automatically that those doing an assessment return are entitled to a refund.
Early Filing Does Not Necessarily Mean Early Payment
The assumption is often made that if one files his tax return early, it automatically means that he will have to pay the tax early too.
This assumption is normally false.
According to HMRC, one can file his return early but still make his 2025/26 tax payment in January 2027. In other words, early filing only ensures the early receipt of a total sum for taxes due.
This will come in handy particularly if a taxpayer finds that his tax bill is higher than he expected
What About the Payments on Account?
The payments on account indicate advance payments towards your Self-Assessment tax payment.
If you need to make them, the payments would normally be made twice per year:
- On 31 January
- On 31 July
Additional balancing payments might sometimes be needed, in case your tax liability would be higher compared to the payments on account which you have paid earlier. This would be one of the reasons to submit your return earlier.
When completing your tax form, you will see what amount is there and what your personal circumstances are. In the event that you realise that your tax liability will be lower than last year, in certain situations, you will be able to ask for a reduction in payment on account from HMRC. However, do not do this too often since you may receive some penalties.
Information that You Need to Have before Filing Your Return
There is some information that you should have before filing your Self-Assessment 2025/26 return. The information will depend on your individual circumstances. These include the following:
- Information about employment and Pay As You Earn (PAYE)
- Information about self-employment income
- Details of expenses and allowances relating to your business
- Income from property
- Pension income
- Interest earned from savings
- Dividend income
- Capital gains
- Pension contributions
- Gift Aid donations
- Student loans
- Your Self-Assessment payments made in the last year
- Tax deducted
You must have proper documentation for all of the above figures. If you are self-employed, then you need to maintain all your records of your income and allowable expenses from your business since they can affect your taxable profit.
It is not simply a matter of summing up all your expenses and reducing your taxes. You need to ensure that the expense is allowable as per HMRC.
Do You Need to Register for Self-Assessment?
If you have never made a previous Self-Assessment return, you may be required to register with HMRC.
In the 2025/26 tax year, HMRC explains that those individuals who must make a return and have never done so before or who previously registered and did not have to make a return for 2024/25 should, in general, notify HMRC by 5 October 2026.
This is because registering and making a return are two different actions, and delay on either part may cause more work than is necessary. If you believe that you are required to register, then do it as soon as possible.
How Lexarox Accounts Can Help with Your Self-Assessment
For some taxpayers, preparing your Self-Assessment return can be relatively simple. However, the process can get more complex for people with self-employed income, property, various income and expense sources, payments on account or other tax issues. This is where professional help becomes useful.
Lexarox Accounts offers professional help to people and organizations which are working in the UK. Lexarox Accounts deals with different kinds of organisations like sole traders, contractors, partnerships and limited companies. Lexarox Accounts uses accountants who have both AAT and ACCA certifications.
Those who plan to make their 2025/26 Self-Assessment return in advance may find the help from professionals useful to properly organise the documents and check the information in order to submit a return before the January deadline.
Submitting a Self-Assessment return is not only about doing that in time, but also about submitting it correctly.
Final Words: File self-assessment early
There is no benefit in intentionally waiting until January to file your Self-Assessment for 2025/26.
If you are due a repayment, an early filing date will allow you to get your tax return sorted early and possibly receive your funds ahead of the holidays. On the other hand, even if you have to pay tax, you still have until 31 January 2027 to do so.
However, the critical thing is accuracy. The filing early process will work only if your tax return has all the correct details.
Hence, if you have procrastinated, then it is time to collect all the documents needed, review your Self-Assessment position and file your Self-Assessment for 2025/26.
Need help getting your Self-Assessment done? Lexarox Accounts will assist you with your accounting and tax needs, so that you enter the 2026/27 tax year prepared.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make my 2025/26 Self-Assessment now?
Yes. If you are ready to file your Self-Assessment early, you can submit your 2025/26 online return from 6 April 2026.
When is the deadline for my 2025/26 Self-Assessment?
31 January 2027 is the deadline for filing an online 2025/26 Self-Assessment return. The amount of tax due under Self-Assessment should also usually be paid by the same deadline.
Will I get my tax refund before Christmas?
There is a possibility that you will get a refund before Christmas as early filing may help process your return earlier; however, HMRC cannot assure that the repayment will be made before Christmas.
Do I have to make tax payments immediately after the early filing?
No, HMRC guarantees that one can file his tax return early and then make the payment for the tax return by 31st January 2027.
When should the paper return of the Self-Assessment form be filed?
The paper return of the Self-Assessment form should reach HMRC by 31 October 2026.
What will happen if I submit my self-assessment return late?
Late submission of self-assessment returns results in penalties.
