How to Pay Your Self Assessment Tax Bill (All HMRC Methods)
⏳ Paying right now? If you're here because of the 31 July second payment on account, read our full guide to the second payment on account deadline — this page covers the payment methods themselves.
- When do you have to pay your Self Assessment tax bill?
- How do you find out how much you owe?
- What are all the ways to pay HMRC?
- Which payment method is fastest?
- What are HMRC's bank details for Self Assessment?
- Can you pay your tax bill through your tax code?
- What if you can't afford to pay?
- What happens if you pay late?
- Frequently asked questions
- The fastest ways to pay are same or next day — bank transfer via Faster Payments, approving a payment through your online bank, CHAPS, or a debit card.
- A brand-new Direct Debit takes 5 working days, so it's the wrong choice close to a deadline. An existing Direct Debit or Bacs takes 3.
- Always quote your UTR followed by the letter K as the payment reference, or HMRC may not match your money to your account.
- Owe under £3,000 and file early enough? HMRC can collect it through your PAYE tax code over 12 months instead.
- Can't pay? A Time to Pay plan can be set up online for debts up to £30,000, within 60 days of the deadline.
- Pay late and interest runs at 7.75% a year from the day after the deadline.
Paying HMRC should be the easy part of Self Assessment. In practice, thousands of people every year pay on the last possible day using a method that takes five working days to clear — and get charged interest anyway. Others type the reference wrong and watch their payment vanish into HMRC's suspense account while the debt sits there apparently unpaid. This guide covers every way to pay your Self Assessment tax bill, exactly how long each one takes, and what to do if the money simply isn't there.
When do you have to pay your Self Assessment tax bill?
There are two payment dates in the Self Assessment year, and most people only remember the first one:
| Date | What's due |
|---|---|
| 31 January | Your balancing payment for the tax year just filed, plus your first payment on account for the current year |
| 31 July | Your second payment on account |
A payment on account is simply an advance instalment towards next year's bill, normally half your previous year's liability — we cover who owes one, the £1,000 threshold and how to reduce it in our guide to the second payment on account.
Both deadlines are midnight on the day. The critical point, and the one that catches people out: the deadline is when the money must reach HMRC, not when you press send. If a deadline falls on a weekend or bank holiday, your payment generally needs to arrive by the last working day before it — Faster Payments and card payments being the exceptions, as they clear on the day.
How do you find out how much you owe?
Sign in to your HMRC online account (the Government Gateway login you use for Self Assessment) and open your Self Assessment statement. It shows what's due, when, and anything already paid or outstanding. The same figure appears on the tax calculation generated when you filed your last return.
HMRC usually issues a statement or reminder ahead of each deadline. If nothing has arrived, don't take that as confirmation you owe nothing — check the account yourself. Missing a reminder is not a defence against interest.
If you want to sanity-check the numbers behind your bill — how much of your income is going to tax and National Insurance in the first place — our UK Salary Calculator gives you a breakdown for the current tax year.
What are all the ways to pay HMRC?
Here is every current method, and — the part that actually matters — how long each takes to reach HMRC:
| Payment method | Time to reach HMRC |
|---|---|
| Approve a payment through your online bank | Same or next day |
| Online or telephone banking (Faster Payments) | Same or next day |
| CHAPS | Same or next day |
| Debit card or corporate credit card online | Same or next day |
| At your bank or building society | Same or next day (needs a paying-in slip from HMRC) |
| Bacs transfer | 3 working days |
| Direct Debit — already set up with HMRC | 3 working days |
| Direct Debit — brand new setup | 5 working days |
Two things to note. First, you can no longer pay at the Post Office — that option was withdrawn. Second, you cannot pay by personal credit card; only debit cards and corporate credit cards are accepted, and corporate cards carry a non-refundable fee.
Which payment method is fastest?
If the deadline is close, use one of these three:
⚠️ Get the reference right. Use your 11-character Self Assessment payment reference — that's your 10-digit UTR followed by the letter K (for example 1234567890K). Get this wrong and your payment can sit unallocated while interest quietly accrues on a bill HMRC still thinks is unpaid.
What are HMRC's bank details for Self Assessment?
If you're paying by bank transfer, these are the accounts to use. HMRC operates two — Cumbernauld and Shipley. If your paying-in slip or statement doesn't specify one, Cumbernauld is the default.
| Paying from | HMRC Cumbernauld | HMRC Shipley |
|---|---|---|
| A UK account | Sort code 08 32 10 Account 12001039 |
Sort code 08 32 10 Account 12001020 |
| An overseas account | BIC BARCGB22 IBAN GB62 BARC 2011 4770 2976 90 |
BIC BARCGB22 IBAN GB03 BARC 2011 4783 9776 92 |
The account name is HMRC Cumbernauld or HMRC Shipley respectively, and the reference is always your UTR plus K. Always check these against HMRC's own bank details page before sending a large payment — and never use account details sent to you in an unexpected email or text, which is a common tax-season scam.
Can you pay your tax bill through your tax code?
Yes — and it's the most painless option available, because the money comes out of your salary or pension gradually instead of in one lump. HMRC will collect the bill through PAYE over 12 months, but only if all three of these apply:
- You owe less than £3,000
- You already pay tax through PAYE — as an employee or a pension recipient
- You filed on time: a paper return by 31 October, or an online return by 30 December (note that's 30 December, a month earlier than the usual 31 January filing deadline)
HMRC won't use this route if your PAYE income isn't large enough, if it would mean deducting more than half your PAYE income, or if it would leave you paying more than twice your usual tax. And you can't part-pay a bill of £3,000 or more to squeeze under the limit — the threshold applies to the original amount owed.
That 30 December date is the one people miss. If coding out your bill appeals, filing in the autumn rather than the January rush is the entire trick.
What if you can't afford to pay?
Do not simply go quiet — that is the most expensive option available. HMRC's Time to Pay arrangement lets you clear the bill in monthly instalments, and you can set one up online without phoning anyone if you meet the criteria:
- You owe £30,000 or less
- You're within 60 days of the payment deadline
- Your tax return is filed — and you've waited at least 72 hours after filing it
- You can clear the balance within 12 monthly instalments
Owe more than £30,000, or need longer than 12 months? You can still arrange a plan, but you'll need to contact HMRC directly rather than using the online service.
Interest still applies to a Time to Pay plan, but arranging one protects you from late-payment penalties that would otherwise stack up — and HMRC treats people who make contact far more favourably than people who don't. Set it up before the deadline where you can.
Going the other way, you can also pay in advance through a Budget Payment Plan — a voluntary weekly or monthly Direct Debit that builds credit towards your next bill. It's the simplest way to make sure next January and July never come as a shock.
What happens if you pay late?
Interest starts the day after the deadline and runs until the balance clears. The current late payment interest rate is 7.75% a year, set at the Bank of England base rate plus 4%. Since April 2025 that formula has been base rate plus 4% rather than plus 2.5%, which made paying late meaningfully more expensive than it used to be. (If HMRC owes you, repayment interest runs at just 2.75% — the asymmetry is deliberate.)
On top of interest, late payment penalties of 5% can apply to tax still unpaid at 30 days, 6 months and 12 months after the due date. These surcharges bite on your balancing payment — a missed payment on account primarily costs you interest, but it also rolls straight into a larger, penalty-exposed bill the following January. Either way, late is never cheaper.
If you're late because your return itself isn't done, that's a separate and larger problem — filing penalties are their own regime. Our Self Assessment tax return service can get an overdue return filed and tell you precisely what's owed, usually far faster than you'd expect.
Frequently asked questions
What is the fastest way to pay my Self Assessment tax bill?
Bank transfer using Faster Payments, approving a payment through your online bank, CHAPS, or a debit card — all normally reach HMRC the same or next day. Avoid setting up a new Direct Debit near the deadline, as that takes five working days.
What reference do I use to pay HMRC?
Your 11-character Self Assessment payment reference: your 10-digit Unique Taxpayer Reference followed by the letter K, for example 1234567890K. Without the correct reference HMRC may not allocate the payment to your account.
What are HMRC's bank details for Self Assessment?
HMRC Cumbernauld is sort code 08 32 10, account 12001039. HMRC Shipley is sort code 08 32 10, account 12001020. Use Cumbernauld unless your paying-in slip says otherwise, and quote your UTR followed by K as the reference.
Can I pay my Self Assessment bill through my tax code?
Yes, if you owe less than £3,000, already pay tax through PAYE, and filed your return by 31 October on paper or 30 December online. HMRC then collects the bill in equal instalments across the following tax year alongside your normal deductions.
Can I pay my Self Assessment tax bill in instalments?
Yes. HMRC's Time to Pay arrangement can be set up online if you owe £30,000 or less, are within 60 days of the deadline, have filed your return at least 72 hours earlier, and can clear it within 12 months. Interest still applies, but it protects you from penalties.
How much interest does HMRC charge on late tax?
The late payment interest rate is currently 7.75% a year, set at the Bank of England base rate plus 4%. It runs from the day after the deadline until the balance is cleared, and further 5% penalties can apply to tax left unpaid at 30 days, 6 months and 12 months.
We'll check your Self Assessment position, tell you exactly what's due, reduce your payments on account where it's justified, and file any overdue return. Fixed fee, no jargon, no surprises. Get a quote or message us today.
Related: our Self Assessment tax return service, the UK Salary Calculator, and our guide to the second payment on account. Official guidance is on the gov.uk pay your Self Assessment tax bill pages.