Do you need to file a tax return if you had no income?

Having no income does not always mean you can skip filing a tax return. If HMRC requires you to submit a Self Assessment tax return, you must do so even if you earned no income during the tax year.

In this case, a nil tax return is filed to confirm that no income was received. Failure to submit the return may result in penalties, even if no tax is payable.

If HMRC has not asked you to file a return and you do not meet the Self Assessment criteria, you generally do not need to submit one.