New year refresh A month-by-month guide to sorting out your finances

Rupert Jones and Hilary Osborne offer a checklist of the vital tasks you need to tackle throughout the year, from filing your tax return to making the most of your holiday cash

- Rupert Jones and Hilary Osborne

The new year is almost upon us and you may have started filling in your phone planner for 2025 or scribbling key dates on next year's family calendar. But it's not just birthdays, weddings and get-togethers to keep in mind - there are various bits of life admin (some nice, others not-so-nice) to grapple with in 2025.

To make things a little easier, Guardian Money has a month-by-month guide to sorting out your finances.

(Though of course, if you are really keen, there's nothing to stop you getting stuck into some of these earlier in the year.)

January

Sort out your self-assessment form (if you haven't already)

More than 12 million people need to file a self-assessment tax return for 2023-24, and the deadline for filing is midnight on 31 January 2025. (Although you could do it now: for example, 25,593 people filed their return on New Year's Eve last year.)

If your affairs aren't complex, then don't be daunted. The online process is straightforward and fairly intuitive - for some, it can take as little as 20-30 minutes to file a return - and HM Revenue and Customs offers lots of online help and YouTube videos to assist people, including first-time filers.

If you can't pay what you owe in full by 31 January, you may be able to pay in instalments over 12 months by setting up a payment plan. "If you owe less than £30,000, you may be able to do this online without speaking to us - our YouTube video explains how and will guide you through each step," HMRC says.

February

Give your pension some love

Review your pension at least once a year to make sure you are on track to meet your retirement goals.

If you are saving into a "defined contribution" pension (the most common type), your provider must send you an annual statement, so if you have not had one for a while, ask.