Yes, you can pay your Self Assessment tax bill early. Once the tax year ends on 5 April, HMRC accepts payments from 6 April onward, and you can send money at any point between then and the 31 January deadline the following year. Anything you pay before your return is filed sits as a credit on your HMRC account and is applied against your bill when it’s finalized. If a large January payment is uncomfortable, spreading the cost across the year is a straightforward option that HMRC actively supports.
When You Can Start Paying
The tax year runs from 6 April to 5 April the following year. From 6 April you can submit your return and begin making payments toward it.1GOV.UK. Self Assessment Tax Returns: Deadlines You don’t have to wait until the return is filed. Any money sent before then simply builds a credit against your Self Assessment record.
Two deadlines govern what the money is applied to:
- 31 January: your online return is due, along with any balancing payment for the previous tax year and your first payment on account for the current year.
- 31 July: your second payment on account is due.
The payment deadlines stay the same regardless of how you file.2GOV.UK. Self Assessment Tax Returns: Sending a Return Paying early doesn’t change the amount you owe. It just means the money is already in place when those dates arrive.
The Easiest Way to Pay Early: Budget Payment Plan
If you want to spread payments across the year rather than remembering to send transfers, HMRC’s Budget Payment Plan lets you set up a Direct Debit for weekly or monthly payments toward your next Self Assessment bill. You choose the amount and frequency, and the money builds up as a credit on your account.3GOV.UK. Pay Your Self Assessment Tax Bill: Pay Weekly or Monthly
To use it, you must be fully up to date with your previous Self Assessment payments. Setup takes a few minutes: sign in to your HMRC online account, select Direct Debit, and choose the Budget Payment Plan option. You can pause payments for up to six months if your circumstances change, and you can cancel at any time.
If what you’ve saved through the plan doesn’t cover the full bill, you pay the difference by the deadline. If you’ve overpaid, you can request a refund.
Other Ways to Send Money Early
If a Direct Debit isn’t right for you, several payment methods work equally well for early payments.4GOV.UK. Pay Your Self Assessment Tax Bill: Overview Processing speed is less critical when you’re paying with time to spare, so you can pick whichever is most convenient.
Bank Transfer
Faster Payments through online or telephone banking is the most common route. Payments usually reach HMRC the same day or the next day, including weekends and bank holidays. CHAPS is another same-day option but your bank will likely charge a fee. Bacs takes three working days.5GOV.UK. Pay Your Self Assessment Tax Bill: Make an Online or Telephone Bank Transfer
Your bill will tell you which HMRC bank account to pay into. If you don’t have a bill yet, either of these works:
- HMRC Cumbernauld: sort code 08 32 10, account number 12001039
- HMRC Shipley: sort code 08 32 10, account number 12001020
Debit Card or Corporate Credit Card
You can pay online at the GOV.UK payment portal using a personal debit card at no charge. Corporate credit cards and corporate debit cards are accepted with a non-refundable fee.6GOV.UK. Pay Your Tax Bill by Debit or Corporate Credit Card Personal credit cards are not accepted; HMRC stopped taking them in 2018.
Cheque by Post
Cheques go to HMRC, Direct, BX5 5BD, made payable to “HM Revenue and Customs only.” Write your 11-character payment reference on the back and include the payslip from HMRC or one printed from the website. Don’t fold the cheque and payslip together.7GOV.UK. Pay Your Self Assessment Tax Bill: By Cheque Through the Post
Get the Payment Reference Right
Every Self Assessment payment needs an 11-character reference: your 10-digit Unique Taxpayer Reference followed by the letter K.5GOV.UK. Pay Your Self Assessment Tax Bill: Make an Online or Telephone Bank Transfer This matters more for early payments than for last-minute ones, because the money may sit on your account for months before your return is filed. If the reference is wrong or the K is missing, the payment can end up in a suspense account and take manual work from HMRC to match to your record.
You can find your UTR on previous tax returns, in your HMRC online account, or on letters from HMRC. It may appear as “tax reference” rather than the full name.8GOV.UK. Find Your UTR Number Check the reference in your banking app before you send. One wrong digit sends the money to the wrong file.
What Happens to Money You Pay Early
Anything you pay before your bill is finalized shows as a credit on your Self Assessment account. When you file your return, HMRC applies that credit against what you owe. If your actual bill is higher than what you’ve paid, you pay the difference by 31 January. If it’s lower, the surplus stays on your account.
HMRC may automatically apply a credit toward any tax due in the next 45 days, such as an upcoming payment on account. If nothing is due, you can claim a refund.9GOV.UK. Self Assessment Tax Returns: Claiming a Tax Refund Refund status shows as pending in your online account until approved and paid.
HMRC pays repayment interest on overpaid tax at 2.75% (as of January 2026), set at the Bank of England base rate minus 1%, with a floor of 0.5%.10GOV.UK. HMRC Interest Rates for Late and Early Payments Don’t expect the credit to earn much. Money sitting with HMRC would almost certainly earn more in a savings account. The reason to pay early is convenience and discipline, not interest.
Payments on Account Still Apply
Paying early doesn’t remove the payments-on-account system. Payments on account are advance payments toward your next tax bill, calculated at half the previous year’s liability, due in two instalments on 31 January and 31 July. They apply unless one of the following is true:
- Your previous year’s tax bill was under £1,000.
- More than 80% of your tax was already collected at source, for example through PAYE or bank deductions on savings interest.
If neither exception applies, payments on account are mandatory.11GOV.UK. Understand Your Self Assessment Tax Bill: Payments on Account The rules sit in Section 59A of the Taxes Management Act 1970.12Legislation.gov.uk. Taxes Management Act 1970 – Section 59A
If your income has dropped and half of last year’s bill twice would clearly overshoot what you owe, you can apply to reduce your payments on account. You can do this through your HMRC online account or by completing form SA303 and posting it. The deadline is 31 January after the end of the relevant tax year.13GOV.UK. Claim to Reduce Payments on Account One caution: if you reduce the payments and your actual bill comes in higher, HMRC charges interest on the underpayment. Only reduce them if you’re reasonably confident the lower figure is right.
Why Paying Early Can Pay Off
Late payment interest is the reason early payment is worth thinking about. HMRC’s late payment interest rate is currently 7.75% (from 9 January 2026), calculated at the Bank of England base rate plus 4%.10GOV.UK. HMRC Interest Rates for Late and Early Payments On a £5,000 outstanding balance, that’s roughly £390 a year in interest. Paying even part of the bill early reduces the balance interest can accrue on if things go sideways later.
The practical case for paying early isn’t the small amount of repayment interest you’d earn. It’s that the money is set aside, the reference is already matched, and 31 January passes without a scramble.