Accredited official statistics

HMRC tax receipts and National Insurance contributions for the UK (monthly bulletin)

Updated 22 May 2026

Released 22 May 2026. Next release 19 June 2026.

Headlines

HMRC Tax and NICs receipts for April 2026 are £87.3 billion, which is £6.3 billion higher than the same period last year.

The data source for this release is available in the HMRC tax receipts and NICs statistics table. Monthly receipts data is available from April 2017.

Figure 1, HMRC receipts for April 2026

Figure 1 above presents total HMRC receipts for April 2026 compared with the same period last year in both percentage and monetary terms and shows:

• in cash terms, receipts were higher from Income Tax, Capital Gains Tax and National Insurance contributions (NICs) (£4.4 billion), VAT (£1.5 billion), and business taxes (£0.5 billion)

• in cash terms, receipts were lower from tobacco (£0.1 billion) and Inheritance Tax (£0.1 billion)

• in percentage terms, receipts were higher for fuel duties (16%), business taxes (10%), and Income Tax, Capital Gains Tax and NICs (9%) and lower for tobacco (13%) and Inheritance Tax (8%)

About this release

This bulletin includes monthly receipts (on a cash basis) from April 2023 for tax and duties, NICs, and fines and penalties that HMRC are responsible for administering.

Cash receipts data for April 2024 to March 2025 are aligned with the HMRC annual report and accounts (ARA), though differences between the two publications exist as the HMRC ARA presents data on an accrued basis. Cash receipts from April 2025 remain provisional until aligned to the ARA due to be published in Summer 2026.

Further background on the methodology, release and quality of these statistics can be found in the quality report for HMRC Receipts on GOV.UK.

Previous publications of these statistics can be found in the National Archives website

Income Tax, Capital Gains Tax and NICs

Income Tax, Capital Gains Tax and NICs receipts for April 2026 are £52.0 billion, which is £4.4 billion higher than the same period last year.

PAYE Income Tax and NICs receipts for April 2026 are £52.5 billion, which is £4.7 billion higher than the same period last year. The latest receipts in April largely relate to March liabilities. Estimates on earnings and employment are available in HMRC’s published statistics.

Self Assessment Income Tax, Capital Gains Tax and NICs receipts for April 2026 are -£0.7 billion, which is £0.1 billion lower (more negative) than in the same period a year earlier. Receipts tend to be negative at the beginning of each financial year, driven by repayments.

Figure 2, Monthly Receipts

Figure 2 above contains the monthly receipts patterns in each financial year since 2023 to 2024 and shows:

• peaks in July and January each year reflect the bi-annual due dates for SA

• peaks in January to April typically capture PAYE bonus-related receipts, particularly from the financial sector

• the reduction of Employee National Insurance rates from 12% to 10%, effective from January 2024, affects receipts from February 2024 onwards

• the reduction of Employee National Insurance rates from 10% to 8%, effective from April 2024, affects receipts from May 2024 onwards

• the changes to Employer Class 1 NICs, effective from April 2025, will affect receipts from May 2025 onwards

• Class 4 National Insurance is paid through Self Assessment and the rate reduction from 9% to 6% from April 2024 affects the receipts peak for January and February 2026

• Self Assessment Income Tax receipts in January 2026 are the highest on record though due to timing of payments around the 31 January deadline, it is advisable to consider January and February together when making annual comparisons

• PAYE receipts in April 2026 are the highest on record

Further information on Income Tax and personal incomes is available in the personal taxes section published on GOV.UK.

Value Added Tax (VAT)

Total VAT receipts for April 2026 are £20.5 billion, which is £1.5 billion higher than the same period last year.

Figure 3, Monthly receipts

Figure 3 above contains the monthly receipts patterns in each financial year since 2023 to 2024 and shows:

• large peaks in April, July, October, and January reflect the quarterly pattern of VAT receipts with these peak months corresponding with the end of the financial and calendar years

• lower receipts observed in September 2023 are offset by the higher receipts observed in August 2023

• the higher quarterly peaks and generally higher receipts in 2025 to 2026 are £9.6 billion higher than the previous year which could be attributed to the nominal tax base for VAT increasing due to inflation and policy measures

• receipts in January 2026 are the highest on record

Further information and statistics on VAT are available in the Excise duties, VAT and other indirect tax statistics section on GOV.UK.

Business Taxes

This section includes receipts from Corporation Tax, Petroleum Revenue Tax, Bank Levy (from July 2011), Bank Surcharge (from April 2016), Diverted Profits Tax (from March 2017), Digital Services Tax (from March 2022), Residential Property Developer Tax (from June 2022), Energy Profits Levy (from December 2022), Electricity Generator Levy (from September 2023) and Economic Crime Levy (from September 2023).

Business Taxes receipts for April 2026 are £5.3 billion, which is £0.5 billion higher than the same period last year.

Figure 4, Monthly receipts

Figure 4 above shows the monthly receipts pattern in each financial year since 2023 to 2024 and shows:

• peaks in June, September, December and March are when most of the largest companies make their Corporation Tax quarterly instalment payments

• the noticeably higher receipts in June 2023, September 2023, December 2023 and March 2024 compared with previous years can be attributed to the increase in the main rate of Corporation Tax from 19% to 25% in April 2023, alongside growth in company profits

• receipts in December 2025 are the highest on record because of strong Onshore Corporation Tax receipts

• the peak in March 2026 receipts can also be attributed to strong Onshore Corporation Tax receipts, particularly from financial sector companies

Further information and statistics on these taxes are available in the corporate tax statistics section on GOV.UK.

Stamp Taxes and Annual Tax Enveloped Dwellings (ATED)

Stamp Taxes receipts for April 2026 are £1.8 billion, which is £5 million lower than the same period last year.

Figures exclude land transaction taxes devolved to Scotland and Wales.

Figure 5, Monthly receipts:

Figure 5 above contains the monthly receipts patterns in each financial year since 2023 to 2024 and shows:

• higher receipts in October 2024 to December 2024 compared to the year before are driven by the increase to the higher rates of Stamp Duty Land Tax surcharge (Higher Rates for Additional Dwellings) on 31 October 2024 and increased transaction levels

• higher receipts in February 2025 to April 2025 compared to previous years are driven by a combination of increased transaction levels prior to the change to residential Stamp Duty Land Tax thresholds from April 2025 and higher rates of Stamp Duty Land Tax surcharge for additional properties

• higher receipts in July 2025 to October 2025 compared to the same period last year is mainly due to the decrease in thresholds for residential main rates and First Time Buyers’ Relief effective from 1 April 2025

• higher December 2025 receipts are due to increased non-residential transaction volumes and coincides with Autumn Budget 2025, a trend also seen in 2024 when transaction volumes increased in October 2024, around the Autumn Budget

Further information and statistics on stamps taxes are available in the property statistics section on GOV.UK. 

Hydrocarbon Oil (fuel duty)

Hydrocarbon Oils receipts for April 2026 are £2.3 billion, which is £0.3 billion higher than the same period last year.

Figure 6, Monthly receipts

Figure 6 above contains the monthly receipts patterns in each financial year since 2023 to 2024 and shows:

• troughs at the beginning of each calendar year in January are most likely to be a result of bad weather conditions

• the lower receipts observed in July 2023 are due to a timing issue which has been offset in August

• receipts from April 2024 have shown a general decline when compared to earlier periods and this is primarily driven by an increase in electric and hybrid car usage leading to a decrease in the miles covered by diesel cars

• the lower receipts observed in March 2026 are due to a timing issue, offset by the higher receipts observed in April 2026

Further information and statistics on road fuel taxes are available in the Excise duties, VAT and other indirect tax statistics section on GOV.UK.

Tobacco duty

Tobacco receipts for April 2026 are £0.7 billion, which is £0.1 billion lower than the same period last year.

Figure 7, Monthly receipts

Figure 7 above contains the monthly receipts patterns in each financial year since 2023 to 2024 and shows:

• monthly tobacco receipts are volatile but trend downwards, which is expected as the tax was designed with reduced consumption in mind

• monthly volatility may be caused by high clearances one month followed by low clearances the next month and these fluctuations can follow price increases by manufacturers, for example forestalling, whereby a manufacturer will bulk release products for consumption prior to anticipating duty increases at budget, though this can vary each year depending on the timings of the budget

• cigarettes are also subject to anti-forestalling restrictions in advance of a Budget, and further information is available in the HMRC Notice 85C published on GOV.UK

Further information and statistics on Tobacco Duty are available in the Excise duties, VAT and other indirect tax statistics section on GOV.UK.

Alcohol Duty

Alcohol receipts for April 2026 are £0.9 billion, which is £3 million lower than the same period last year.

Figure 8, Monthly receipts

Figure 8 above contains the monthly receipts patterns in each financial year since 2023 to 2024 and shows:

• receipts in a particular month largely relate to liabilities (alcohol being released for consumption) in the month prior

• December peaks are due to higher levels of alcohol being released for consumption during November in preparation for the Christmas period

• peaks in July and August 2023 receipts may be partly due to forestalling, pointing to higher levels of alcohol being released for consumption in anticipation of Alcohol Duty changes from the 1 August 2023

• lower receipts in January and February 2026 follow higher receipts in November and December 2025, possibly due to timing effects

Further information and statistics on alcohol duties are available in the Excise duties, VAT and other indirect tax statistics section on GOV.UK.

Environmental Taxes

This section includes receipts from Landfill Tax, Aggregates Levy, Climate Change Levy, Carbon Price Floor and Plastic Packaging Tax.

Environmental Taxes receipts for April 2026 are £0.5 billion, which is £94 million lower than the same period last year.

Figure 9, Monthly receipts

Figure 9 above contains the monthly receipts patterns in each financial year since 2023 to 2024 and shows:

• peaks in April, July, October, and January, reflect when most traders make their quarterly instalment payments

• Climate Change Levy receipts in April 2025 are the highest on record, and may be a timing effect offset by lower receipts in May 2025

Further information and statistics on environmental taxes are available in the Excise duties, VAT and other indirect tax statistics section on GOV.UK.

Air Passenger Duty

Air Passenger Duty receipts for April 2026 are £0.3 billion, which is £8 million higher than the same period last year.

Figure 10, Monthly receipts

Figure 10 above contains the monthly receipts patterns in each financial year since 2023 to 2024 and shows:

• receipts tend to rise in the summer months and fall during winter, with a slight upturn in January, reflecting increased travel during December

• monthly receipts, with the exception of October 2025 are all higher when compared to the same period in the year prior and likely a sign of the industry’s continued growth

• lower receipts in October 2025 are due to a timing issue, offset by the higher receipts observed in November 2025

Further information and statistics on Air Passenger Duty are available in the Excise duties, VAT and other indirect tax statistics section on GOV.UK.

Inheritance Tax

Inheritance Tax receipts for April 2026 are £0.7 billion, which is £65 million lower than the same period last year.

Figure 11, Monthly receipts

Figure 11 above contains the monthly receipts patterns in each financial year since 2023 to 2024 and shows:

• higher receipts in the coming years are expected to be due to a combination of higher volumes of wealth transfers following recent liable deaths, recent rises in asset values, and the government’s decisions at various recent fiscal events to maintain the tax free thresholds at their 2020 to 2021 levels up to and including 2030 to 2031

• higher receipts in June and October 2023, September and October 2024, April and December 2025 can be partially attributed to a small number of higher-value payments than usual

Further information and statistics on Inheritance Tax are available in the personal incomes statistics section on GOV.UK.

Contacts

For any further information, queries or to provide feedback on this publication, please contact either K Mason or L Suckling at crosscuttingstatistics@hmrc.gov.uk.

For media enquiries, see HMRC press office.