“I had a run-in with a cow”: the strangest reasons for late tax returns

From run-ins with cows to touring the nation with a one-man play, HMRC has heard some bizarre excuses for the late filing of self-assessment tax returns.

The end of January marks the deadline for self-assessment tax returns to be filed online with HMRC for the 2012/13 tax year.

So with just a couple of weeks to go, the taxman has highlighted some of the strangest excuses people have given for filing their tax return late.

Here are the taxman’s top ten strangest excuses.

• My pet goldfish died;
• I had a run-in with a cow;
• I saw a volcanic eruption on the news, and couldn’t think of anything else;
• My wife won’t give me my mail;
• My husband told me the deadline was 31st March;
• I’ve been too busy touring the country with my one-man play;
• My bad back means I can’t go upstairs, and that’s where my tax return is;
• I’ve been cruising round the world in my yacht, only picking up post when I’m on dry land;
• Our business doesn’t really do anything;
• I’ve been too busy submitting my clients’ tax returns (this one came from an accountant!).

Unsurprisingly, none of these reasons were accepted as valid excuses for the late filing of tax returns.

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What happens if you send your tax return in late?

If, like the ten people highlighted above, you send your tax return in after the deadline, you’ll be slapped with a £100 fine.

If your tax return is filed more than three months late, there will be a £10 daily charge for up to 90 days. After six months there will be a further penalty of £300 or 5% of the owed tax, whichever is greater, which is then repeated if it still isn’t filed after a year. In some cases the penalty after 12 months can be 100% of the tax due.

Read How to get your online self-assessment tax return right to ensure you don’t come a cropper!

Enjoy tax-free returns from the stock market

More on tax:

How to get your online self-assessment tax return right

Pay less tax on your earnings

How to get a tax refund

What is payment on account?

How to make sure you’re on the right tax code