Penalty deadline just two weeks away
HMRC allowed a generous relaxation of the rules surrounding penalties for late payment of tax for 2020/21. However, the deadline to act is fast approaching. What do you need to do if you owe tax for that year?
Usually, if you pay your balancing payment under self-assessment after 31 January, you'll be charged interest on the outstanding amount from 1 February. Furthermore, if anything remains unpaid 30 days later, a charge of 5% of the amount due is added to the bill. However, for 2020/21 there was a relaxation of this. The deadline to avoid a penalty for 2020/21 was moved to 31 March. But what you may not know is that a penalty can still be avoided if you can’t pay in full by this date. All you need to do is contact HMRC and agree a time to pay arrangement before the end of the month. No penalty will then be charged, as long as the arrangement is adhered to. Note that interest will still be charged from 1 February. Additionally, the penalty interest rate increased on 21 February 2022, from 2.75% to 3%.
You can make the arrangement via your personal tax account online, or by contacting HMRC on 0300 200 3822.
Related Topics
-
Loan Charge settlement offers begin to land
HMRC has begun sending formal settlement offers to individuals and employers with outstanding Loan Charge liabilities, alongside detailed new guidance explaining how offers will be calculated and how long recipients have to respond. What’s the full story?
-
The hidden income tax benefit of marriage
You recently got married and a relative joked that you can save lots of money because of the tax breaks for married couples. As a newlywed are you entitled to a reduction in your income tax bill?
-
September deadline to opt out of winter fuel payment
Pensioners whose income is over £35,000 have only days left to opt out of the 2026/27 Winter Fuel Payment and avoid having it recovered through the tax system. What do you need to know?
This website uses both its own and third-party cookies to analyze our services and navigation on our website in order to improve its contents (analytical purposes: measure visits and sources of web traffic). The legal basis is the consent of the user, except in the case of basic cookies, which are essential to navigate this website.