Pay Wine or Cider Duty
How to pay Wine or Cider Duty, and how long it takes for your payment to reach HMRC.
From 1 March 2025, you must pay Alcohol Duty by the 25th of the month using the Manage your Alcohol Duty online service.
If you owe any duty up to and including February 2025, you will not see this on the Manage your Alcohol Duty service. You should use the product-specific duty returns to pay duty.
Read more about the changes to alcohol approvals, returns and payments from 1 February 2025.
This guide explains how and when to pay your Wine or Cider Duty.
There is a separate guide to pay Beer Duty.
When to pay
Your return and payment are due by the 15th day of the month following your accounting period.
If you’re licensed for Wine Duty or registered for Cider Duty, you’ll automatically get a return. If you need a duplicate, contact HMRC.
If the deadline is on a weekend or bank holiday, make sure your payment reaches HMRC by the end of the previous working day.
If you do not pay by the deadline, you may need to pay a penalty, interest or both.
What you need
You need your 12-character Cider or Wine Duty payment reference number. This reference will either be made up of 12 numbers (for example, 012345678900) or one character and 11 numbers (for example, N12345678900).
You can find this on your return form.
If you use an incorrect reference number:
- there will be a delay in the payment being allocated correctly
- you will receive a payment reminder
Pay online
You can pay by approving a payment through your online bank account by selecting the ‘pay by bank account’ option.
You will be directed to sign in to your online or mobile banking account to approve your payment.
You will need to have your online banking details to hand to pay this way.
The payment is usually instant but can take up to 2 hours to show in your bank account.
Pay by bank transfer
If you pay by CHAPS (Clearing House Automated Payment System) or Faster Payments, you can submit your payment on the same or next day.
If you pay by Bacs (Bankers Automated Clearing System), allow 3 working days for the payment to reach HMRC.
We recommend you check your bank’s processing times and maximum transaction limits before you pay.
Use the following details to make a payment if your account is in the UK:
- sort code — 08 32 00
- account number — 12000946
- account name — HMRC TAPS
If needed, you can provide your bank with the following HMRC banking address:
Barclays Bank PLC
1 Churchill Place
London
United Kingdom
E14 5HP
Pay by cheque
Allow 3 working days for your payment to reach HMRC.
Make your cheque payable to ‘HM Revenue and Customs only’ and write your reference number on the back.
Do not fold the cheque or attach it to other papers.
You can include a letter to ask for a receipt.
Send your cheque to:
HMRC payments Climate Change and Alcohol Duties
HM Revenue and Customs
BX9 1XL
You do not need to include a street name or PO box when writing to this address.
Nothing to pay
If you get a return and calculate that you have nothing to pay, or you’re due a repayment, you must still send it back to HMRC.
Updates to this page
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Added text explaining that from 1 March 2025, you must use the Manage your Alcohol Duty online service to make payments.
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Information updated to confirm your Cider or Wine Duty payment reference number is made up of either 12 numbers or one character and 11 numbers.
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Welsh translation added.
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If your deadline falls on a weekend or bank holiday, make sure your payment reaches us on the last working day before it.
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The address to post cheques to has changed.
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You can now pay wine and cider duty using your online or mobile bank account.
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Cheque payment details have been updated.
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Address updated for sending returns and payments.
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Temporary measures have been put in place to stop the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) - you must now pay Wine or Cider Duty electronically by Faster Payment, Bacs or CHAPS rather than post.
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First published.