Ahead of the January 31st tax return deadline, Alastair Douglas, CEO of TotallyMoney urges people to act now, or risk long waiting times on hold to HMRC. Including those who’ve sold on Etsy, Ebay and Vinted:

“For many, January means tax return season. And usually, that involves getting everything in order, finding out you’re not quite sure about something, and then holding a phone to your ear while in a queue and waiting for HMRC to answer your query.

“And it’s estimated that each year, taxpayers spend around 7 million hours on hold to the tax office, with wait times peaking every January. And as the deadline approaches, time spent on hold gets longer, and in particular during the afternoon.

“So while you might not be planning on sorting out your tax return over Christmas, it might actually save you time in the long run — while making January a little less stressful. HMRC’s phonelines are only closed on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Years Day, and open the rest of the time. That means there’s plenty of opportunities to speak to somebody, and the chances are, not many other people will be busy sorting their finances either. So you should get through quickly.

“Although HMRC aren’t always quick to answer your calls, they can be when it comes to handing out fines for late filing. So don’t get caught out. And remember, if you’ve earned more than £1,000 by selling items on sites like Etsy, Ebay, Vintend and Depop, you’ll need to declare this and file a return too.”

#ENDS

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