How to pay HMRC with a credit card

HMRC’s card rules are the same for VAT, Corporation Tax, Self Assessment and employers’ PAYE. The card type decides whether you can pay HMRC directly, and whether you pay a fee.

Which cards HMRC takes

Checked on 25 September 2026 against gov.uk.

Card	Pay HMRC directly?	HMRC fee
Personal debit card	Yes	No fee
Corporate debit card	Yes	Non-refundable fee
Corporate credit card	Yes	Non-refundable fee
Personal credit card	No	Not accepted

HMRC stopped taking personal credit cards on 13 January 2018. For a corporate card, the law sets the fee equal to the fees that HMRC pays to receive the card payment.

A card payment made directly to HMRC counts on the day you make it, even at a weekend or on a bank holiday. It does not matter when the money reaches HMRC’s account.

Two ways to pay HMRC by credit card

A corporate credit card, on gov.uk. If your business has a corporate card, pay on the gov.uk page for the tax, and HMRC adds its card fee.

Any other credit card, through a bill payment service. A bill payment service charges your card and then pays HMRC for you, with your payment reference. HMRC receives the payment from the service, not from your card.

For the second route you need three things: the right HMRC bank account, your payment reference and enough time before the deadline.

HMRC bank details and payment references

Checked on 25 September 2026 against gov.uk. HMRC can change these details, so check the gov.uk page for your tax before you pay.

Tax	Account name, sort code, account number	Payment reference
VAT	HMRC VAT 08 32 00 11963155	Your 9-digit VAT registration number, with no spaces
Corporation Tax	HMRC Cumbernauld 08 32 10 12001039	The 17-character reference for the accounting period that you are paying
Self Assessment	HMRC Cumbernauld 08 32 10 12001039	Your 10-digit Unique Taxpayer Reference followed by K
Employers’ PAYE	HMRC Cumbernauld 08 32 10 12001039	Your 13-character accounts office reference, with no spaces

Four details change the table above:

• Corporation Tax and Self Assessment have a second account: HMRC Shipley, sort code 08 32 10, account number 12001020. Your HMRC notice or bill tells you which account to use. If you are not sure, gov.uk says to use HMRC Cumbernauld for Corporation Tax. For Self Assessment without a bill, you can pay into either account.
• The Corporation Tax reference changes for each accounting period. Use the one on the notice for the period that you are paying.
• An early or late PAYE payment needs 4 extra numbers after the accounts office reference. gov.uk shows how to work them out.
• A VAT surcharge or penalty has its own 14-character reference, which starts with X. It is on the letter from HMRC.

When each tax is due

Checked on 25 September 2026 against gov.uk.

Tax	Payment deadline
VAT	Usually 1 calendar month and 7 days after the end of the VAT period
Corporation Tax	9 months and 1 day after the end of the accounting period, for taxable profits up to £1.5 million a year. Above that, companies normally pay in instalments. If your company has associated companies, the £1.5 million is divided between them, so check the gov.uk rules.
Self Assessment	31 January for the balancing payment and the first payment on account. 31 July for the second payment on account.
Employers’ PAYE	The 22nd of the next tax month. If you usually pay less than £1,500 a month, you can ask HMRC to pay quarterly.

Allow time for the payment to reach HMRC

For a bank transfer, the date that counts is the day that the money reaches HMRC. gov.uk gives these times:

• Faster Payments usually reach HMRC on the same or the next day, including weekends and bank holidays.
• CHAPS usually reaches HMRC on the same working day, if you pay within your bank’s processing times.
• Bacs usually takes 3 working days.

If a Corporation Tax or Self Assessment deadline falls at a weekend or on a bank holiday, the payment must reach HMRC on the last working day before it. A Faster Payment is the exception.

A bill payment service adds its own step. With dozo, you choose the payment-out date, which is the earliest day that dozo pays HMRC. dozo sends it once your card payment has reached dozo, which can be later than that date. The earliest date that you can choose is 5 days after today, not counting bank holidays in England and Wales. dozo’s help page says to create the payment at least 5 working days before the due date. Leave more time before a tax deadline, because the payment must reach HMRC by then.

If a payment is late, HMRC charges late payment interest at the Bank of England base rate plus 4%. For VAT, the interest runs from the first day that the payment is overdue. Corporation Tax instalments have their own rate, called debit interest. HMRC can also charge a penalty.

Which route costs less

If the money is already in your bank account, two routes have no card fee: a personal debit card on gov.uk, or a bank transfer from your own account. A credit card helps when you need more time to find the cash. Then compare the card fee with the cost of the other options.

A corporate credit card on gov.uk costs HMRC’s fee. A bill payment service costs its own fee. With dozo, that is a card fee on each payment plus the plan.

dozo prices, checked on 12 October 2026.

Tax bill	£29 plan: 2.5% fee with a UK card	£79 plan: 2.3% fee with a UK card
£2,000	£50.00	£46.00
£8,000	£200.00	£184.00
£20,000	Over the £10,000 monthly limit	£460.00

HMRC receives the full tax amount. The fee is added to your card payment. The £29 plan covers up to £10,000 of payments a month, and the £79 plan covers up to £150,000. Each dozo payment can be from £1 to £20,000. From 26 October 2026, each new payment must be at least £100.

If you cannot pay the bill in full, contact HMRC before you borrow. HMRC can set up a payment plan to pay the bill in instalments, if it finds the plan affordable.

How to pay HMRC with dozo

1. Find the bank details and the reference for your tax, in the table above or on your HMRC bill or notice.
2. Add HMRC as a payee. Enter the account name, sort code and account number exactly as gov.uk shows them. Before any money moves, dozo runs a Confirmation of Payee check on the name. If the check gives a close match or no match, dozo does not pay. Check the details on gov.uk and try again. If the check still does not match, pay HMRC another way before the deadline, such as a bank transfer from your own account.
3. Enter the amount, your payment reference and the payment-out date. Copy the reference exactly. HMRC uses it to match the payment to your tax account. dozo references take up to 18 characters, so each reference in the table fits.
4. Pay by card. Use any UK debit or credit card, personal or business. Your card is charged when you pay, not on the payment-out date.
5. dozo pays HMRC. dozo pays HMRC on the payment-out date, or later if your card payment reaches dozo after that date. A few days later, check your HMRC online account to see that HMRC has the payment.

Related questions

Can I pay HMRC with a personal credit card? Not directly on gov.uk. A bill payment service charges your card and pays HMRC for you.

When does HMRC count a payment through dozo? On the day the payment reaches HMRC, not the day you pay by card. A card payment made directly to HMRC counts on the day you make it.

Can I pay by Direct Debit instead? See credit card vs Direct Debit. It includes the timing of a VAT Direct Debit. For supplier invoices, read how to pay invoices with a credit card.