• Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
Mullen Stoker

Mullen Stoker

Chartered Accountants in Durham

Call Us Now 0191 374 0300

  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Phone
  • Twitter
  • Services
    • Accountancy & Tax
    • IT Solutions
    • Business Services
  • About Us
    • Our Story
    • Our Team
  • News and Views
  • Online Resources
    • Calculators
    • Tax Rates & Tables
    • Downloadable Forms
    • Tax Application
  • Testimonials
  • Contact
  • Client Login

Top ten excuses for late filing

As most self employed persons, certain pensioners and high income earners will be aware their self-assessment tax returns for 2013-14 have to be filed by the end of January 2015 in order to avoid late filing penalties                                   

There are also other costs (possible interest and further penalties) if you fail to pay your tax on time. Any balance of self-assessment tax for 2013-14, and if applicable, the first payment on account for 2014-15, may also be due on the same date (31 January 2015).                                 

If you are struggling to meet this deadline we may be able to help…

 If you are late in filing or paying your taxes you may have a possible means of avoiding penalties if you can demonstrate that you had a reasonable excuse. Readers may be interested to know that the following excuses would not be accepted by HMRC. This list of the top ten excuses (that failed) was published on 5 January 2015.

  • My pet dog ate my tax return…and all the reminders.
  • I was up a mountain in Wales, and couldn’t find a post-box or get an internet signal.
  • I fell in with the wrong crowd.
  • I’ve been travelling the world, trying to escape from a foreign intelligence agency.
  • Barack Obama is in charge of my finances.
  • I’ve been busy looking after a flock of escaped parrots and some fox cubs.
  • A work colleague borrowed my tax return, to photocopy it, and didn’t give it back.
  • I live in a camper van in a supermarket car park.
  • My girlfriend’s pregnant.
  • I was in Australia.

HMRC Director General of Personal Tax, Ruth Owen, said:

“People can have a genuine excuse for missing a tax deadline, but owning a pet with a taste for HMRC envelopes isn’t one of them.”

Category iconUncategorized

Xero Gold Partners
ICAEW Chartered Accountants
Clear transparent pricing champions

Footer

LATEST NEWS

  • How artificial intelligence is changing accountancy 19th June 2025
  • New identity verification rules at Companies House 17th June 2025
  • Hospitality sector to benefit from savings 12th June 2025

INFORMATION

Sunderland Accountancy

Durham Accountancy

South Shields Accountancy

Newsletter

Business & Tax News

The Budget

ABOUT US

We bring a fresh, dynamic and friendly approach to Accountancy services. We are proud to say you will not find Mullen Stoker to be a stereotypical Accountancy Practice as we have new ideas, add value to what are known to be more traditional accountancy services and are able to provide high quality IT Solutions

We use telephone tracking numbers to link a user’s call to the marketing channel that they originated from. This is done using cookies, you can choose to decline cookies using your browser settings if you would prefer not to be tracked. We may record calls for training or monitoring purposes.

This firm is not authorised under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 but we are able in certain circumstances to offer a limited range of investment services to clients because we are members of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales. We can provide these investment services if they are an incidental part of the professional services we have been engaged to provide.

Copyright © 2025 Mullen Stoker Chartered Accountants · Privacy Policy · Terms & Conditions