A MAN who failed to file his self- assessment tax return on time claimed it was because his wife had been seeing aliens and won’t let me enter the house.

Ahead of the January 31 self-assessment deadline, HMRC has released a series of excuses they had received from people who failed to hit last year’s submission date.

Other excuses included: “I’ve been far too busy touring the country with my one-man play”, “my ex-wife left my tax return upstairs, but I suffer from vertigo and can’t go upstairs to retrieve it”, “my business doesn’t really do anything”, and “I spilt coffee on it”.

Angela MacDonald, from HMRC , said: “Each year we’re making it easier and more intuitive for our customers to complete their tax return, but each year we still come across some questionable excuses, whether that’s blaming a busy touring schedule or seeing aliens. However, help will always be provided for those who have a genuine excuse for not submitting their return on time.

“We also receive absurd expense claims from vet fees for a rabbit to room service at a hotel. It is unfair to make honest taxpayers pick up the bill for other people’s spurious claims, so HMRC will only accept sincere claims such as legitimate expenses for a job. “

Visit www.gov.uk/personal-tax-account for help.