HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) will now automatically assume that taxpayers wish to file their annual return digitally as part of “substantial paper-saving measures”.
It follows new evidence suggesting that 94 per cent of the self-employed and other taxpayers who need to complete Self Assessment each year do so online.
However, some 22 million paper Annual Tax Summaries were posted to taxpayers last year.
As part of the regulator’s digital transition, it confirmed that customers “will no longer receive automatic paper returns”, but can still opt in to file a paper return.
The measure, which comes into force from April 2020, means that taxpayers who have filed on paper in the past will now receive a notice to file – informing taxpayers of their options but encouraging them to file digitally.
“If they still wish to file on paper they can download a blank version of the return or call HMRC to request one,” the guidance adds.
Commenting on the change, Angela MacDonald, HMRC’s Director General for Customer Services said: “Most customers manage their tax affairs online. It’s easy, secure and available 24 hours a day. Customers can also sign up for email alerts and online messaging. It doesn’t even have to be done all in one go – they can stop, save what they’ve done, and pick up where they left off later.
“We are working hard to stop the use of unnecessary resources which have an environmental impact; that’s why we’re reducing the use of paper as much as possible.”
It has also been revealed that HMRC will stop providing paper P45s and P60s to employers from April.
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