- There is a month left until the second bill payment deadline, July 31st.
- The HMRC app is the fastest way to pay, with more than 110,000 payments made through it since April.
- Clients can set up payment plans to help spread the cost of their tax bills.
With a month to go, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is reminding millions of self-assessment taxpayers to prepare for their second bill payments for the 2025-26 tax year, due on 31 July.
Customers can set up monthly or weekly payment plans and any payments already made on these plans will count towards their next Self Assessment Tax bill.
Payments can be made through the HMRC app and since its introduction in January 2022, almost 2 million self-assessment taxpayers have done so. It allows people to easily pay their tax bills, set payment reminders, and track and view their payment history.
Myrtle Lloyd, HMRC’s chief customer officer, said:
We know that managing your self-assessment tax bill isn’t always easy, and we’re here to help. From instant payment via the HMRC app to cost sharing on a payment plan, support is available to every customer.
Search for ‘Pay your self-assessment tax bill’ on GOV.UK to choose the payment option that’s right for you.
Invoice payments are payments towards the client’s next self-assessment tax invoice. They help spread the cost of the tax due by making payments in two installments. Each payment represents half of the tax the client owed last year. These payments must be made by midnight on January 31st and July 31st.
Taxpayers can make payments into the account via GOV.UK or the HMRC app. A full list of payment options is available on GOV.UK.
Customers must make these two payments unless:
- the amount of tax due last year was less than £1,000.
- last year they paid more than 80% of the tax due outside of Self-Assessment (for example, through their tax code or because their bank had already withheld interest on their savings)
Installment payments can be paid before the client submits their self-assessment tax return. The deadline to file tax returns and pay any remaining tax for the 2025-2026 tax year is January 31, 2027. Filing early means clients know how much tax they owe sooner. GOV.UK has a wide range of online help and support available to help people complete and file their tax return.
HMRC is also making it easier for customers who are required to pay High Income Child Benefit (HICBC) to complete their return correctly. From mid-July 2026, around 300,000 Self-Assessment customers will have child benefit information that they or their partners can pre-populate into their online Self-Assessment tax returns, making it easier and faster to file correctly.
Additional information
More information about self-assessment
Customers who expect their tax bills to be lower than last year can ask HMRC to reduce their bill payments through GOV.UK.
Self-employed people and landlords with annual turnover above £50,000 are now required to use Making Tax Digital (MTD) for income tax, submitting quarterly updates to HMRC. In-scope customers must ensure they are registered and using compatible software. The deadline for filing the first quarterly reports for the 2026-2027 tax year is August 7, 2026.
It is important that clients tell HMRC if there are any changes in details or circumstances, such as a new address or name, or if they are no longer self-employed or their business has closed. They should not assume that someone else will update HMRC data on their behalf.
If clients no longer need to carry out a self-assessment, they will need to inform HMRC.
GOV.UK One Login means customers can log in once, verify their identity and reuse it across government services. For the first time, all new customers signing up for HMRC’s digital services are now asked to create a single GOV.UK account. Existing customers don’t need to do anything differently at this time – they should continue to use their government gateway as normal. When it is time to switch to GOV.UK One Login, they will be contacted with clear instructions and warning.
Criminals often impersonate HMRC to steal money or personal information in someone else’s name. Before sharing personal information, people should always stop and consider whether the request is genuine; Never click on links in unexpected messages or share your HMRC login details. Genuine HMRC contact details and advice on identifying fraud can be found on the GOV.UK website.