Practical

What is due on 31 January 2027?

By 11:59pm on 31 January 2027 you need to submit your online Self Assessment return for the 2025 to 2026 tax year and pay the tax you owe. If you make payments on account, a second payment is due by 31 July.

By Gary Dhanda · 9 November 2026 · 3-minute read

Who does this affect?

This date matters if you need to send an online Self Assessment return for the tax year named above. That can include sole traders and people with property income. Your own circumstances decide whether you need a return; being a company director alone does not tell you your position.

Check the GOV.UK deadlines page before you make your plan. Read the return deadline and the payment deadline together. Sending a return and paying the tax you owe are different tasks, even when they share a date. A calendar entry is a reminder to act, not confirmation that either task is finished.

If you make payments on account, keep the second payment date in view too. The key dates builder includes it when you select sole trader or landlord, or company director. That selection helps you make a shortlist; it does not establish that a payment is due in your case.

What else is close behind?

The tax year 2026 to 2027 ends on 5 April. The next day, 6 April 2027, Making Tax Digital for Income Tax starts for qualifying income over £30,000 from self-employment and property in the 2025 to 2026 tax year.

The £20,000 threshold follows from 6 April 2028, for qualifying income in the 2026 to 2027 tax year. The income year used for the threshold and the year you start are different. Keep both when you make a note for yourself.

The GOV.UK Making Tax Digital guidance explains who needs to use it and when. Use that guidance, or ask your accountant, rather than treating a short summary as a decision about your own obligations.

How do you keep the dates together?

Use the builder to choose your nation and roles, then add your own dates for preparing the work. It gives you a calendar file and a plain memory page. Each official row links to its source, so you can go back to the guidance instead of relying on a copied date alone.

The full dates page separates confirmed dates, expected dates and company changes without a fixed day. Keep those labels when you share a plan with an assistant. AI memory can hold your planning context, but it is not a substitute for checking the guidance.

This is a summary of GOV.UK guidance, not tax advice. Check GOV.UK or your accountant for your own position.

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