10/09/2026
The most common reason people don't file in September is a misunderstanding: they think filing early means paying early. It doesn't.
Your payment date is 31 January whatever day you file. Filing now just means you know the number four months in advance instead of four days.
What you get for doing it now:
• The figure, in September — so you can set money aside in instalments instead of in a panic.
• Refunds back sooner — before the January queue forms.
• Cheaper mistakes — errors are far easier to fix while records, receipts and memories are still fresh.
• The option to pay in stages — HMRC's Budget Payment Plan lets you pay towards the bill by direct debit if your affairs are up to date.
• January back — which, for most business owners, is worth something on its own.
We'd genuinely rather do your return in September than in the last week of January — and you'll get more of our attention for it.
Send your records over this month and January becomes a non-event. First conversation's free, as ever.
Crossley & Davis — Accountants & Business Advisors, Bolton. The first conversation is free. crossleyanddavis.net