New Year, Same Deadline: Durham Taxpayers Racing the Self Assessment Clock

5.6 million taxpayers nationwide still need to complete their 2024–25 return

Ah, January in County Durham— the days are short, the weather is freezing (well it is as I type this), and apparently, millions of us are still leaving our Self Assessment until the last minute.

HMRC reports that over 5.6 million taxpayers nationwide still need to complete their 2024–25 return, while 6.36 million have already filed. Some have clearly got their New Year’s resolutions sorted… the rest are probably still staring at their inbox thinking, “I’ll get to it tomorrow.”

Over the New Year, thousands of brave souls decided to kick off 2026 with tax. Over 54,000 people filed on New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day. Yes, that’s right — while the rest of us were nursing a mince pie hangover, some were punching numbers and ticking boxes.

The true heroes? 342 people who filed in the last hour before midnight on NYE. Imagine celebrating the fireworks knowing your tax affairs were in order — now that is dedication. HMRC says the most popular filing slot was surprisingly sensible: 11am–11:59am over the two days.

Last-minute filing tips for North East taxpayers

Get your paperwork ready early — gather P60s, invoices, and bank statements before panic sets in

Use HMRC estimates where needed — you can always adjust later

Check any extra income — side gigs, savings interest, or rental income

And if January is already looking like a full-on juggle of work, life, and other deadlines, don’t stress — we can file your Self Assessment for you. No last-minute panic, no midnight stress, no refreshing HMRC at 11:58pm.

Sometimes the smartest tax move in the North East is knowing when to hand it over.

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