Revealed: how many people did their tax return at Christmas

A record number of people spent Christmas Day filing their tax return this year, new data from HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) shows.

Some 3,003 people submitted their papers to the government, a 15% increase on 2018 when just over 2,500 people filed on Christmas.

And while millions of people were rising early to rip open their presents and pour some breakfast fizz, by 8am on Christmas day, 248 people had finished and sent their tax return.

HMRC reveals the festive tax return filers

A total of 12,257 people filed their returns on Christmas Day and Boxing Day this year, a 9% boost on last year's figures.

Between 8am and 4pm was the busiest time for submissions on Christmas Day: 1,458 filed their returns, while another 1,297 had filed between 4pm and midnight.

Boxing Day saw a staggering 9,254 people file their return, with more than 5,000 people filing between 8am and 4pm.

More than 11 million people are expected to file their 2018-19 tax return this year. The deadline for online submissions is 31 January 2020.

What happens if I file my 2018-19 tax return late?

If you miss the deadline to file yourself-assessmenttax return,HMRC could automaticallycharge you £100.

HMRC must have received your tax return by31 October 2019 for paper forms, and midnight on 31 January 2020 for online returns.

And if you're more than a day late, the potential fines only get worse.

Find out more in our guide to late payments and penalties.

Complete your tax return with Which?

Which? offers a tax calculator that makes it quick and easy to work out how much tax you owe.

You can pull together all of your income and outgoings, work out your tax liability and submit your return directly to HMRC with a click of the button.

You can see how the Which? tax calculator works in the video below. Try it for yourself at which.co.uk/taxcalculator.