The end of January marks both the deadline for filing your personal tax return and, most importantly, payment.
Paying Your Tax Bill
We are often asked how to pay the tax bill. Previously it used to be quite complicated, but improvements to HMRC's site have made it easier, as well as offering many more payment methods. At time of writing, you can pay using:
- Debit Card.
- Online/Telephone Banking.
- Bank Transfer.
- Cheque (by post, or in-person at your bank).
You should be able to login to your Government Gateway account to make a payment. If you are ever asked for a payment reference, this is normally your Unique Taxpayer Reference (UTR) followed by the letter ‘K’.
Issues Paying
When it comes to paying your tax bill, you might not have the full funds available. HMRC have introduced a Time To Pay system which allows you to spread your payments, as long as you meet certain criteria including:
- You owe less than £30,000.
- You're able to pay within 12 months, and are within 60 days of the payment deadline.
To look at setting this up, you must first file your tax return (and then wait a couple of days for the system to process it). Once that is done, you can set it up online here.
One thing to remember: If you are required to make payments on account, the second payment will be due by the end of July.
Any Questions...
This is one area where HMRC seem to have made significant improvements in recent years, but if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
All figures correct as of 28 October 2025.
