It’s pretty straight-forward, so let’s get to it.

First off, you need to visit the HMRC website – HMRC – paying your Self Assessment.
You will be presented with a screen listing a contents list of links outline sections below that explain all the different ways to pay and other information. You can use any of these methods, but some take longer to action and for the payment to be received by HMRC.

You can pay in these ways:

• Direct Debit
• Online / telephone banking, CHAPS, Bacs
• At your local bank or building society (perhaps this is a last resort due to Covid-19)
• By cheque in the post
• Through your tax code (conditions apply)

As we explain below, you can pay your Self Assessment tax bill immediately, but you still need to allow 3 working days for your payment to reach HMRC’s bank account. It’s worth bearing this in mind and not leaving this job until the last minute!

In this post, we are explaining a way to pay now without the need to sign into your HMRC government gateway account, all you will need is your UTR (see below for further information).

So, back to the ‘Pay your Self Assessment tax bill‘ page on the HMRC website… scroll down and select the button ‘Pay Self Assessment now‘ and you will be taken to a new page with an option to sign into your tax account.

You don’t have to sign in, in order to pay your Self Assessment tax bill if you’re happy to pay by card. We all know what it’s like to have information in your head, saved on another device or your missing your bank calculator! Fear not, you can select ‘No, continue to payment options‘ and you can check back into your tax account another time.

(If you do choose to sign in, you will need your login details and to go through the security verification process.)

At the next step you should see a page saying ‘Choose a way to pay‘

The options you are presented with are:

• Direct Debit (one-off payment)
  • This is a single one-off direct debit payment, which covers your by the Direct Debit guarantee, but you will be required to sign into your account.
• Bank transfer
  • Shows you HMRC’s bank details so you can make your own payment using your bank’s website, banking app or at your local branch.
• Debit or corporate credit card
  • This means you can pay now without signing into your account. Debit cards have no fee, but Corporate credit and debit cards do incur a non-refundable fee. You cannot pay on a personal credit card.

Select the third option ‘Debit or corporate credit card‘ and click ‘Continue’.

The next page gives you a bit more information about using this method of payment and allowing time for the payment to reach HMRC. Read it through and then click ‘Continue’.

You will see a screen to input your UTR. Your UTR is your Unique Taxpayer Reference, which is a 10 digit number e.g. 1234567890. You can find it on a tax return, or other letters in regards to self assessment. (It may be called ‘reference’, ‘UTR’ or ‘official use’).

Type in your UTR and select ‘Continue’. You will then see a page asking you the amount you need to pay. You can get this from your accountant, you can login and view your Self Assessment statements, login to your HRMC app or you can call HMRC. Type in the correct amount and click continue.

The next couple of steps are pretty straight-forward and ask for your card details and personal details in order to complete the transaction. We recommend saving a PDF copy or printing a copy of your confirmation of payment at the end of the process, but after this you can certainly tick this job off your to-do list!

One more thing to note, if you didn’t know already, HMRC have an app! It can give you access to all your information including your UTR, National Insurance number, accounts and more when you’re on the go, not to mention HMRC help and support – take a look here.