Taxpayers need to update their diaries for this year to keep track of new filing dates for personal tax returns.

The deadline has changed to October 31, 2008 for submitting a paper return but stays at January 31, 2009, for returns filed online.

Taxpayers missing the deadlines face hefty fines.

Also, the personal tax return has undergone a redesign with fewer questions, simpler language and an improved layout.

The tax return is intended as easier to understand and complete, especially  for the self-employed and those not using an accountant .

Other changes to the paper return include:

• A new page for additional information - questions completed by relatively few people about less common types of income and reliefs.
• A new short, two-page self-employment form for small businesses with an annual turnover below £64,000.
• An increased 'three line account' threshold - the limit for completing simpler, abbreviated accounts information has been doubled from £15,000 to £30,000.
• Reordered questions - a person's main source of income is now at the front of the return, rather than the end.

A redesigned version of the online return is also now available.

All the changes have been made following a two-year pilot, which involved more than 7,000 taxpayers