HMRC has announced that it received 1,773 online tax returns on Christmas Day – a 13% increase on last year’s total of 1,566. The Christmas data logs reveals that the busiest time for online returns on 25 December was between midday and 1pm, when 148 Yuletide returns were delivered electronically when perhaps the festive drinks hadn’t yet been poured.

Christmas cheer was perhaps a bit lacking for those who filed on Christmas Eve, traditionally a much busier day for festive filing than the big day itself with 17,644 online returns successfully submitted. This was up 4% on the 17,000 received on 24 December 2013. Another 4,811 online returns ticked all the boxes on Boxing Day – a 7% increase on the 4,493 received last year.

In total, 24,228 online returns were received over the three-day festive period – up 5% on the 2013 total of 23,059.

The festive themed press release belies a more serious reminder that Self-Assessment returns for 2013–14 are due for online filing on 31 January 2015. Any tax owed for 2013–14 must also be paid by that date together with the first payment on account for 2014–15 (see report below).

HMRC have also issued a number of other publications, reminders and guidance documents in advance of the filing deadline which can now be accessed on the new web platform for HMRC on Gov.UK. Readers may also be aware from previous reports in tax.point that the content of the HMRC website migrated to its new location on Gov.UK at the end of December 2014. The Tax agents and advisers pages have also been switched over.