Life admin
Life admin calendar for the UK and Ireland
The fixed life admin dates in the UK are mostly about Self Assessment, with 31 October for paper returns and 31 January online, and the energy price cap, which changes every quarter. In Ireland the main one is the Form 11 deadline of 31 October, later on ROS. MOT, NCT, car tax and TV licences run from your own date.
Dates change
Deadlines and amounts can change from year to year. Your own letter, notice or online account always comes first. Every date below links to its official source and was checked on 14 October 2026.
Month by month
| Month | United Kingdom | Ireland |
|---|---|---|
| January | 31 January: online Self Assessment return and payment of the tax you owe for the previous tax year, plus the first payment on account if you make them (for 2025 to 26: 31 January 2027). The energy price cap changes on 1 January. | Payments of Local Property Tax for the new year start (in 2026 the monthly direct debit started on 15 January). |
| February | Ofgem announces the price cap for April to June (in 2027: 23 February). | |
| March | Clocks go forward on the last Sunday (2027: 28 March). | Clocks go forward on the last Sunday. If you pay Local Property Tax by annual debit, it is taken in March (in 2026: 20 March). |
| April | The tax year starts on 6 April. The energy price cap changes on 1 April. The TV licence fee is 180 pounds a year from 1 April 2026. | |
| May | Your employer gives you a P60 by 31 May if you work for them on 5 April. Ofgem announces the July cap (in 2027: 26 May). | |
| July | 31 July: second payment on account for Self Assessment, if you make them. The energy price cap changes on 1 July. | |
| August | Ofgem announces the price cap for October to December (in 2026: 26 August). | |
| October | 5 October: register for Self Assessment if you need to file for the first time. 31 October: deadline for paper returns. The energy price cap changes on 1 October. Clocks go back on the last Sunday (2026: 25 October). | 31 October: pay and file deadline for Form 11 (in 2026: Saturday 31 October). Clocks go back on the last Sunday (2026: 25 October). |
| November | Ofgem announces the price cap for January to March (in 2026: 25 November). | If you both pay and file Form 11 on ROS, the deadline is later (in 2026: Wednesday 18 November). 1 November is the liability date for Local Property Tax. |
| December | 30 December: file online by this date if you want tax you owe collected through your tax code, where that applies to you. | 31 December: last day to claim back tax for the year four years ago (by 31 December 2026: claims for 2022). |
Self Assessment and the P60 apply across the UK. The Ofgem price cap applies in England, Scotland and Wales. Checked on 14 October 2026; your own letters and accounts always come first.
For the 2025 to 26 tax year the Self Assessment dates are 5 October 2026 to register, 31 October 2026 for paper returns and 31 January 2027 for online returns and payment.
On your own date
Part of your life admin does not belong to a month but to your car, your contract or your licence. Look those dates up once and put them in your calendar.
| What | United Kingdom | Ireland |
|---|---|---|
| Car test | MOT in Great Britain: first by the third anniversary of registration, then every year. You can test up to a month (minus a day) early and keep the same renewal date. In Northern Ireland cars are tested from four years old. | NCT: first at four years old, then every two years, and every year from the tenth anniversary test. You can test up to 90 days early and keep your expiry date. |
| Car tax | DVLA sends a V11 reminder about three weeks before renewal if you pay every 6 or 12 months. A Direct Debit renews by itself, as long as the car has a valid MOT in Great Britain. | Motor tax runs for 3, 6 or 12 months. The renewal reminder comes about three to four weeks before the renewal date. |
| TV licence | The renewal date is on your licence. The fee is 180 pounds a year from 1 April 2026. | 160 euros a year. A renewal runs for 12 months from the old expiry date, even if you pay late. |
| Council tax and property tax | Council tax is usually paid in 10 monthly instalments. If you are struggling to pay, your council may spread it over 12. | Local Property Tax: the valuation on 1 November 2025 sets the charge for 2026 to 2030. |
| Passport | Renew in good time: applications usually take up to three weeks, and how much validity you need depends on where you are going. | The expiry date is on your passport. |
| Insurance, energy and subscriptions | The renewal date is on your policy, contract or account. | The renewal date is on your policy, contract or account. |
Turn it into a system
- Put the fixed months in your calendarOne recurring event per moment, for example every year on 1 October "check the energy deal".
- Look up your own datesMOT or NCT, car tax, TV licence, insurance renewals. Add them with a reminder a month before.
- Link it to your paperwork blockIn your weekly paperwork block, look at what is coming up in the next month. See life admin.
Sources
- GOV.UK: Self Assessment tax returns, deadlines
- GOV.UK: payments on account
- GOV.UK: P60
- GOV.UK: getting an MOT
- nidirect: how the MOT scheme works (Northern Ireland)
- GOV.UK: vehicle tax Direct Debit
- GOV.UK: vehicle enforcement policy (V11 reminder)
- GOV.UK: cost of the TV licence fee for 2026 to 2027
- Ofgem: energy price cap
- Ofgem: price cap from 1 October to 31 December 2026
- GOV.UK: paying your council tax bill
- GOV.UK: when do the clocks change
- GOV.UK: renew an adult passport
- GOV.UK: HM Passport Office, about our services
- Revenue: filing your tax return (Form 11 and ROS)
- Revenue: the four-year rule
- Revenue: Local Property Tax, what to do
- Revenue: Local Property Tax payment dates
- NCTS: frequently asked questions
- gov.ie: motor tax payments, renewals and refunds
- Citizens Information: TV licences
- Citizens Information: when do the clocks change
How SortYourMind does it
Paperwork with a set moment and a date
In SortYourMind, Admin is a theme just like a room of your home. Routines such as the weekly paperwork block come back every week, and anything with a deadline goes on the day you choose. Waiting on a reply from the insurer or the council? Park it until the reply comes in.
- A regular paperwork block in your free time, around your calendar
- Priority 1 first, always on the day you chose
- Waiting for reply: you see who you are waiting on and when to follow up
- Tell SyMon: "call the insurer on Wednesday, fifteen minutes"
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