Pay your Simple Assessment tax bill

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Overview

You must pay your Simple Assessment tax bill if you’ve been sent a letter by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC).

This guide is also available in Welsh (Cymraeg).

You may get a Simple Assessment letter if you:

  • owe Income Tax that cannot be automatically taken out of your income
  • owe HMRC £3,000 or more
  • have to pay tax on your State Pension

If you think any information in the letter is wrong, you must contact HMRC within 60 days.

You can find out more about your Simple Assessment tax bill, and what to do if you think your tax calculation is wrong.

How to pay

You can:

When to pay

If you get a Simple Assessment letter:

  • before 31 October 2024 (for the 6 April 2023 to 5 April 2024 tax year) - you must pay what you owe by 31 January 2025
  • on or after 31 October 2024 (for the 6 April 2023 to 5 April 2024 or any earlier tax year) - you must pay what you owe within 3 months of the date of the letter

If you cannot pay your Simple Assessment bill on time

You’ll need to contact HMRC. They may suggest you pay what you owe in instalments. You’ll need:

  • your National Insurance Number
  • your UK bank account details

You can only do this once your payment deadline has passed.

HMRC will ask you:

  • if you can pay in full
  • if there are other taxes you need to pay
  • how much money you earn
  • how much you usually spend each month
  • what savings or investments you have

If you have savings or assets, HMRC will expect you to use these to reduce your debt as much as possible.