Don’t forget your income tax is due by 31 January 2013!
This is regardless of whether you send your tax return in on paper before 31 October 2012 or whether you have (or will) submit your tax return electronicaly by 31 January 2013. Even if you fail to send your tax return in on time the tax is still due on 31 January 2013.
HMRC recommends that you make your Self Assessment payments electronically. It’s safe and secure and provides certainty about when your payment will reach HMRC.
When you make your payment to HMRC it is important that you use the right reference number. This makes sure your payment reaches your account and that way you won’t get reminders after you’ve paid.
To pay your Self Assessment you will need to use your ten-digit reference number, called a Unique Taxpayer Reference (UTR). For example 1234567890K. You can find your UTR:
- in your online account if you’re registered for Self Assessment online
- on the payslip HMRC sent you
Make sure you enter your reference number with no spaces between the characters or it could lead to delays in updating your records.
If you are new to Self Assessment and don’t have a UTR give your National Insurance number instead.
Are you struggling to pay your tax?
You will need to call HMRC’s Business Payment Support Service Helpline on 0845 302 1435. This service is available for individuals and businesses who have not yet received a payment demand. If you think you might have trouble paying in any circumstances TELL HMRC. They cannot help you if you ignore their payment demand letters.
Budget Payment Plan
You can only pay with a Budget Payment Plan if you are up to date with your tax. In addition, you must pay by direct debit. If you choose to pay your tax in this way you will make regular payments during the year towards the amount you owe on 31 January or 31 July. The plan is flexible and you can:
- decide how much you want to pay each week or month
- change your regular payment amount
- stop making payments for up to six months
- cancel your payments at any time
This plan is worth considering if you want to make sure you can meet your tax obligations but you are not good at putting enough money aside.