HMRC Warns Self Assessment Taxpayers on July Payment
HMRC has put Self Assessment customers on notice with one month left before the second Payments on Account deadline.
HM Revenue and Customs is reminding Self Assessment taxpayers to prepare for the 31 July payment date, when the second Payments on Account instalment is due.
The reminder applies to customers who make advance payments towards their next Self Assessment tax bill.
HMRC Sets Out 31 July Payment Warning
The latest HMRC announcement on GOV.UK says taxpayers should act early rather than leave payment arrangements until the final days.
Payments on account are made in two instalments.
Each one is usually half of the previous year’s tax bill, with due dates of 31 January and 31 July.
HMRC said customers can pay through GOV.UK or the HMRC app, with the app now used by nearly 2 million Self Assessment taxpayers since its January 2022 launch.
The department said more than 110,000 payments have been made through the app since April.
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Who Has to Make Payments on Account
The rule does not apply to every Self Assessment customer.
HMRC says customers normally need to make payments on account unless last year’s tax bill was under £1,000, or they paid more than 80% of the tax owed outside Self Assessment.
That can include tax collected through a tax code or deductions already made from savings interest.
The official GOV.UK guidance on Payments on Account explains that the instalments are designed to spread the cost of tax across the year.
Customers who expect their next bill to be lower than last year can ask HMRC to reduce their payments on account.
That option matters for people whose income has fallen, whose business has slowed, or whose tax position changed during the year.
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Payment Plans and App Use Take Center Stage
HMRC is also pointing taxpayers toward payment plans for those who cannot clear the bill in one go.
Customers can set up monthly or weekly plans, and payments already made through those plans will count towards the next Self Assessment bill.
Myrtle Lloyd, HMRC’s Chief Customer Officer, said managing a Self Assessment bill is not always straightforward and that support is available, including instant payment through the app and spreading the cost through a payment plan.
The official Pay your Self Assessment tax bill page lists payment routes for taxpayers choosing how to settle what they owe.
For HMRC, the message is practical rather than dramatic: check the bill, choose a route, pay or arrange a plan before the deadline.
For taxpayers, the risk is waiting too long and discovering too late that the payment method or plan setup needs more time.
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Other Tax Changes Sit Behind the Reminder
The 31 July deadline is not the only point in HMRC’s update.
From mid-July 2026, around 300,000 Self Assessment customers liable for the High Income Child Benefit Charge will have Child Benefit payment information pre-populated on their online return.
HMRC said the change is intended to make returns faster and reduce mistakes.
Sole traders and landlords with annual turnover above £50,000 are also now required to use Making Tax Digital for Income Tax.
Their first quarterly submission deadline for the 2026 to 2027 tax year is 7 August 2026.
HMRC also reminded customers to update details if their name, address, employment status or business position has changed.
The wider point is clear: the July payment date is arriving alongside a broader shift toward app payments, pre-filled tax data and more digital reporting.
TL;DR
- HMRC is reminding Self Assessment customers about the 31 July Payments on Account deadline.
- Payments on account usually split the next tax bill into January and July instalments.
- The HMRC app has handled more than 110,000 payments since April.
- Customers can set up weekly or monthly payment plans to spread the cost.
- Some Child Benefit data will be pre-filled on online returns from mid-July 2026.
- Sole traders and landlords above £50,000 turnover face Making Tax Digital reporting rules.
Sources
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