What it costs to miss a deadline
Late submission moved to a points system. You get some rope, and then it stops being cheap.
2026/27 is a soft-landing year
HMRC will not issue late submission penalty points for quarterly updates in 2026/27. That is a transitional easement for the first wave, not the settled rule — and it does not extend to the tax return itself, where the normal penalties apply from the start. From 2027/28 the points apply to quarterly updates too, and to all Self Assessment taxpayers rather than only those in MTD.
How the points work
Each missed deadline earns one point. You can only get one point per deadline, however late it is. Reach four points as a quarterly filer and HMRC issues a £200 penalty. After that, every further missed deadline is another £200 — the points do not keep climbing, the fines just repeat.
How points go away
- Stay below the threshold and points expire on their own after 24 months.
- Once you have hit the threshold, you clear the slate by filing everything on time for 12 months as a quarterly filer — and by having no outstanding submissions.
Late payment is separate
Points are for filing late. Paying late is charged separately, as a percentage of the tax outstanding plus interest. Filing on time while paying late still attracts the payment charges — and filing late while paying on time still earns a point. They are two different systems and it is worth not conflating them.
The practical read
For most people the risk is not one catastrophic fine, it is drift. Four missed updates across a year of being busy is the threshold, and quarterly deadlines come round quickly enough that a habit of being three weeks late becomes £200 without anything dramatic happening. The fix is a calendar entry and software that files in one action, not diligence.
Know your dates
Every quarterly deadline from 2026/27 onwards, and the period each one covers.
See the deadlines