Number of Self Assessment customers who file tax returns early doubles in five years

Myrtle Lloyd, HMRC’s director general for customer services, said: “Filing your Self Assessment early means you can spend more time building your business or doing the things that you enjoy and less time worrying about completing your tax return.”

The deadline to file tax returns for the 2022 to 2023 tax year is 31 January 2024 and customers have been able to submit theirs since the start of the new tax year.

A total of more than 860,000 customers filed their tax return for the 2021 to 2022 tax year on 31 January 2023.

Almost 97 per cent of customers now file their Self Assessment tax returns online.

Information on how to complete self assessment is available on the Government's website.

The Government department has also issued a warning for customers to protect their personal information and to be on guard from tax scams.

HMRC noted that if a customer is contacted by someone claiming to be a HMRC employee, they should not allow themselves to be rushed , especially if they are asked to transfer money or share personal information.

The department warned that customers should also not share their HMRC login details with anyone, including their own tax agent.