With less than a week to go until the 31 January Self-Assessment deadline, HMRC has provided a bit of light relief by posting some of the weird and wonderful excuses from people who have missed the deadline in the past.

One late filing Brit tried to blame his mother in law, another tried to blame a junior member of staff and one even blamed the postbox.

The tax authority also posted a list of failed expense claims that people have tried to get away with, including five years’ worth of woolly underwear.

You can see the full list of late-filing excuses below:

• My mother-in-law is a witch and put a curse on me
• I’m too short to reach the post box
• I was just too busy – my first maid left, my second maid stole from me, and my third maid was very slow to learn
• Our junior member of staff registered our client in Self-Assessment by mistake because they were not wearing their glasses
• My boiler had broken, and my fingers were too cold to type

And the rejected expenses:

• A carpenter claiming £900 for a 55-inch TV and sound bar to help him price his jobs
• £40 on extra woolly underwear, for 5 years
• £756 for my pet dog insurance
• A music subscription, so I can listen to music while I work
• A family holiday to Nigeria

Most HMRC customers file their Self-Assessment tax returns on time. If you have an excuse, however, HMRC may treat you leniently.

The excuse must be genuine and HMRC may ask you for evidence. The above excuses were rejected because they were either untrue or not good enough reasons. Customers providing HMRC before the 31 January deadline may be able to avoid a penalty.

Failing to return a tax return on time can result in:

• An initial £100 fixed penalty
• After 3 months, additional daily penalties of £10 per day, up to a maximum of £900
• After 12 months, a further 5% or £300 charge, whichever is higher

Need help or advice with your Self-Assessment tax return? Speak to a member of the team today. Call: 0800 121 6513.