If you are a therapist, counsellor, psychologist or other self-employed practitioner who needs to file a Self Assessment tax return for the first time, 5 October 2026 is an important HMRC deadline.
The deadline applies to anyone who needs to report income for the 2025/26 tax year and has not submitted a Self Assessment return before. It can also apply to people who were registered previously but did not need to submit a return for the 2024/25 tax year.
It is easy to confuse the 5 October date with the main Self Assessment deadline. 5 October is the deadline to register with HMRC. It is not the date by which your tax return or tax payment is due.
For the 2025/26 tax year, the deadline for submitting an online tax return and paying any tax owed is 31 January 2027. If you are filing a paper return, HMRC must receive it by 31 October 2026.
If you are newly self-employed, you may need to register for Self Assessment if your gross self-employed income was more than £1,000 during the tax year. There are also other circumstances in which you may need to file, including having certain untaxed income or being a partner in a business partnership.
HMRC has recently improved its online registration service, and people registering through the new system can receive their Unique Taxpayer Reference (UTR) in their online account within 72 hours. This means there is still time to get registered and start preparing your return before the January deadline.
For therapists, keeping your income and expenses organised throughout the year can make Self Assessment considerably easier. Records of client income, professional expenses and other allowable costs should be kept so that your tax return can be completed accurately.
At Therapists Accounting, we specialise in helping therapists and private practitioners manage their accounts, Self Assessment and tax obligations, giving you more time to concentrate on your practice.