Spread the cost of your January 2021 tax bill with Time to Pay service

As part of their Winter Economy Plan, the government recently announced the launch of their enhanced Time to Pay service.

From 1 October 2020, this extended service has allowed eligible taxpayers to spread their January 2021 tax payment over 12 months.

Eligibility

Individuals who wish to set up a Time to Pay arrangement must meet the following requirements: 

• they must have no outstanding tax returns, other tax debts or other HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) payment plans set up
• the amount due must be between £32 and £30,000
• the payment plan must be set up no later than 60 days after the due date

What's covered?

Payments due on 31 January 2021 that are covered by the arrangement include the following: 

• the second payment on account for 2019/20 which was originally due on 31 July 2020 but may have been deferred (the revised due date is 31 January 2021, so the 60 day time limit above can still be met)
• the balancing payment for 2019/20, due on 31 January 2021
• the first payment on account for 2020/21, due on 31 January 2021

 Anyone using the service will not be charged late payment penalties, but will be required to pay interest on any amounts that remain outstanding from 1 February 2021. 

How to access

In order to set up a payment plan, once your tax return has been submitted to HMRC, you must log in to your Personal Tax Account or set one up if you haven't already.

Once signed in to your account, navigate to the Self-Assessment section, access ‘Your Balance’ and select the option to pay by instalments.

You will then be able to set up a direct debit to pay the tax owed in monthly instalments, up to a period of 12 months.  

If you are unable to use the online service, or have a tax liability of more than £30,000, you can call HMRC’s Payment Support Service on 0300 200 3822 which is open Monday to Friday, 08:00 to 16:00.

Please note that this is not something that your agent can set up on your behalf, however if you require any advice then please get in touch with your usual Duncan & Toplis adviser or contact our team.