Self Assessment Tax Return 2025/26: What You Need + How We Help

If you’re thinking about your Self Assessment tax return 2025/26, April is the perfect time to get organised early. The tax year runs from 6 April 2025 to 5 April 2026, and once the year ends, you can start preparing your return right away — which means less stress, fewer surprises, and better tax planning.

At Anlo, we take the worry, anxiety and time out of managing your tax. We’re not the kind of accountants who only appear once a year — we’re here to support you, talk things through, and make the whole Self Assessment process feel a lot more manageable.

How we help with your Self Assessment tax return

Filing a return can feel straightforward until HMRC asks questions that don’t quite match real life — especially if you have more than one income stream. We help you understand what needs to be included, make sure everything is accurate and compliant, and ensure you claim every legitimate allowance and relief available to you.

We regularly support people who are company directors, landlords, self‑employed, earning dividends or investment income, receiving foreign income, or simply dealing with a more complex personal tax position than PAYE alone.

Self Assessment checklist: what information we need from you

The simplest way to think about it is: personal details + income + expenses + “extras” like pensions, donations, gains, and overseas items. Here’s a clear tax return checklist UK clients can follow.

1) Personal details (so we match HMRC’s records)

• Full name, National Insurance number, current address and contact details

• Your UTR (Unique Taxpayer Reference), if you have one

• If it’s your first time with Anlo: your previous tax return(s) if available

2) Employment income (if applicable)

• P60 (and P45 if you changed jobs)

• P11D (benefits in kind), if relevant

• Share based pay-outs

3) Self‑employment / sole trader income

• Income records (invoices / sales summaries) and expense records (receipts, invoices)

• Bank statements for the year (downloading to Excel is a great start)

4) Rental / property income (landlords)

• Rental statements or rent summaries, plus property expenses (repairs, insurance, maintenance)

• Details of each property (and ownership splits if jointly owned)

5) Dividends, savings and investment income

• Dividend vouchers / dividend statements

• Savings interest statements (where relevant)

• Crypto currency

6) Pensions (important for March planning)

If you’ve made personal pension contributions (or plan to top up before the year end), please send:

• Pension contribution statements and confirmations for the year

• Details HMRC typically needs to support a relief claim (provider, pension type, amounts, and proof)
  If you complete a Self Assessment return, pension tax relief is claimed through the return (not via the separate online claim route).  

7) Other items people often forget

• Gift Aid donations

• Student loan information (if relevant)

• Capital gains details (asset sales, dates, proceeds, costs)

• Foreign income / overseas interest / dividends / rental

March 2026 tax planning: what to consider before 5 April

March is when we like to have a proper planning conversation — because once you hit the end of the tax year (5 April 2026), some opportunities disappear.

A few common examples we talk through with clients:

• Whether additional pension contributions before 5 April 2026 might be tax‑efficient (and what evidence you’ll need)

• Making sure Gift Aid donations are properly captured

• A last tidy‑up of allowable expenses for self‑employed clients so nothing legitimate is missed

• Cashflow planning for what’s coming, so January doesn’t feel like a shock

If you want a Self Assessment accountant in Edinburgh who will keep this simple, help you stay compliant, and talk you through the decisions (not just submit forms), we’d love to help.

Book a free consultation and we’ll tell you exactly what we need based on your situation — then we’ll take it from there.

Section	What to send to Anlo (client checklist)	Applies if…	Sent? (Y/N)	Notes (optional)
Personal details	Full name, National Insurance number, current address + contact details, UTR (Unique Taxpayer Reference) if you have one, date of birth.	Everyone		If we’re your agent, we can ask you to check the details HMRC holds.
Employment income	P60 (each job), P45 (if you left a job), P11D (benefits/expenses), details of tips not taxed through tronc, and any other job benefits/income (eg “golden hello”, termination payment).	You were employed in the tax year		HMRC’s record‑keeping list for employees/directors includes P45/P60/P11D and other job income.
Employment expenses (claiming costs personally)	Records of work‑related expenses you paid yourself (eg tools, travel costs, specialist clothing) and any evidence/receipts.	You want to claim employment expenses		HMRC says keep expense records to include in the tax return where relevant.
Self‑employment / sole trader income	Summary of sales/income (invoices / sales reports), business expense records (receipts/invoices), and bank statements (Excel download is fine).	You were self‑employed / sole trader		HMRC: keep records of all sales/income and business expenses; proof can include receipts, bank statements, sales invoices.
CIS (construction industry)	CIS payment and deduction statements / payment advice receipts.	You’re a subcontractor under CIS		Include all CIS statements for the year.
Rental/property income (UK)	Rental income summary (agent statement or rent schedule), dates property was let, rent received, any service income charged to tenants, and property expenses (repairs, insurance, maintenance) with invoices/receipts + bank statements where helpful.	You let a property		HMRC list for rental records includes dates let, rent, service income, rent books/receipts/invoices/bank statements and allowable expenses.
Savings & bank interest	Bank/building society statements/passbooks, interest statements, and any tax deduction certificates.	You earned taxable savings interest		HMRC: keep bank statements and interest/income statements from savings/investments.
Dividends & investments	Dividend vouchers, unit trust tax vouchers (if applicable), investment statements/summaries, and (where relevant) documents like “chargeable event certificates” for life insurance policy gains or trust income details.	You received dividends/investment income		HMRC’s savings/investments record list specifically includes dividend vouchers and related investment documents.
Pension income	Pension P60 from your pension provider, P160 (if you have it from when pension started), and any other pension income statements (incl State Pension and tax deducted).	You received pension income		HMRC list includes pension P60 and P160 (Part 1A).
Pension contributions (tax relief)	Pension contribution statements + proof (provider letter/statement or payslip), plus: pension provider name, type of pension, net contributions by tax year, payroll/ref number (if workplace).	You made personal/workplace pension contributions and need relief reflected correctly		HMRC explains exactly what you need as evidence/details when claiming pension tax relief.
State benefits	Any documents relating to benefits (eg Statutory Sick Pay, statutory maternity/paternity/adoption pay, Jobseeker’s Allowance) and any other benefit paperwork you received.	You received state benefits		HMRC employee/director record list includes documents relating to social security benefits.
Child Benefit + tax credits	Child Benefit dates/amounts and tax credit statements (Working Tax Credit / Child Tax Credit), if applicable.	You or partner received Child Benefit or tax credits		Anlo highlight this is often missed if clients don’t tell us.
Capital gains (shares/property/crypto etc.)	Purchase and sale documents: dates, proceeds, costs, improvement costs (if relevant), valuations (if used), and any calculations already done.	You sold assets and may have CGT		HMRC: keep records to make a correct return of gains/losses; supporting docs include contracts and valuations.
Overseas/foreign income	Evidence of overseas income (payslips, bank statements, payment confirmations), overseas expense receipts you want to claim, overseas dividend certificates, and proof of tax already paid (UK or overseas).	You had foreign income/gains		HMRC overseas income record list specifies exactly these items.
Crypto Currency	Exchange/wallet transaction history downloads, wallet addresses, bank statements showing transfers in/out, and a list of each transaction including: type of cryptoasset, date, units, GBP value at the transaction date, and the cumulative units held. Also include any valuation records and transaction fees where available.	You bought/sold/exchanged/used cryptoassets (including crypto‑to‑crypto swaps or paying for goods/services)
“Anything else that affects tax”	Any “one‑off” income, unusual payments, or documents you think might be relevant (better to send than omit).	Unsure / complex affairs