Put house in order for January 31 deadline

The annual January 31 deadline for filing a self-assessment tax return is now exactly one month away, and there's no time to lose.

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More pensioners may have to file this year, perhaps for the first time, with tax thresholds frozen but the state pension rising under the triple lock.

Miss the deadline and HMRC will slap late filers with an automatic £100 penalty, even if no tax is owed, with further fines and interest if you leave it longer.

Elsa Littlewood, tax partner at accountants BDO, said: "Account for all your income and capital gains, and remember to claim all tax relief due."