HMRC After Dark • 12 October 2026

Three dates, one quiet trick, and zero January panic

Picture two creators with identical years. Same subscribers, same income, same tax bill.

The first files on 29 January, discovers the number, and spends February eating toast for dinner. The second filed before Christmas, owed a little under £3,000, and simply had it collected in small slices through the salary from her weekday job. No lump sum. No toast.

Same money. Very different winter. The only difference was the calendar.

What HMRC said this week

On 8 October, HMRC published its annual nudge to start Self Assessment early, timed for World Mental Health Day. Its own survey of more than 5,200 customers found over 26% feel anxious as tax deadlines approach. Charmingly, more than 24,000 people chose to file their return on World Mental Health Day itself last year. Self care comes in many forms.

Tucked inside the release are the three dates that matter for the 2025 to 2026 tax year:

Source: HMRC, Starting early is key to less stress around Self Assessment (8 October 2026)

The quiet trick: 30 December

Plenty of creators also hold a payroll job, full time or a few shifts a week. If that is you, GOV.UK says HMRC will collect your Self Assessment bill through your tax code when all three of these are true:

Instead of one January payment, the amount is spread across your payslips. It will not work if your PAYE income is too small to collect from, or if the tax would take more than half of it.

Source: GOV.UK, Pay your Self Assessment tax bill through your tax code

No day job? You still get a softer January

HMRC also runs a Budget Payment Plan: weekly or monthly Direct Debits that build up against your next bill, so less lands on you at the deadline. You need to be up to date with last year's payments to set one up, and you can pause it for up to six months if a quiet month arrives. Think of it as a savings pot that HMRC kindly holds the lid on.

Source: GOV.UK, Pay weekly or monthly

Your move this week

Pull your 2025 to 2026 platform statements and expenses together, file online well before 30 December, and decide which route suits you: tax code, monthly plan, or a January payment you have already saved for. Three options, all calm. Which one you get depends only on when you start.

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Just starting out? The Excel tax tracker in the Products section is the beginner friendly option: simple tabs, dropdowns, and your income and expenses in one tidy place, so the number is never a surprise.

Questions about your own situation? Message me at HMRC After Dark. Judgement free, always.

And if you have not read it yet, please start with the Tax Survival Guide. It is your beginner info pack for keeping your own records, and the best place to begin before January begins for you.

See you after dark,
Melissa