How to Pay HMRC Corporation Tax: Methods, Deadlines, and Penalties

To pay HMRC Corporation Tax, send an electronic bank transfer to HMRC Cumbernauld (sort code 08 32 10, account number 12001039) using your company’s 17-character payment reference, and make sure the money clears HMRC’s account by nine months and one day after the end of your accounting period. Faster Payments and CHAPS are the two methods that reliably clear the same day or next working day, which matters if you’re paying close to the deadline.

When the Payment Has to Reach HMRC

For most companies, Corporation Tax is due as a single lump sum, nine months and one day after the accounting period ends. An accounting period ending 31 March has a payment deadline of 1 January the following year. A six-month period ending 30 September has a deadline of 1 July.¹

The payment deadline is not the same as the filing deadline. Your Company Tax Return (CT600) is due 12 months after the accounting period ends, three months after the money itself was due. Filing on time doesn’t stop late payment interest from running if the cash arrived late.

What HMRC looks at is the date funds clear their account, not the date you pressed send. Choose a payment method whose clearing time fits the days you have left.

The Reference Number You Need Before You Pay

Two identifiers matter. Your Unique Taxpayer Reference (UTR) is a 10-digit number assigned when the company registered for Corporation Tax, and it appears on HMRC correspondence such as the notice to deliver a Company Tax Return, or inside your company’s HMRC online account.²

The one you actually type into your bank is the 17-character payment reference. It is built from your UTR plus extra characters identifying the specific accounting period, so it changes every time you pay. You’ll find the correct reference on the notice to deliver a Company Tax Return, on any HMRC payment reminder, or in your HMRC online account by selecting the relevant accounting period.³

Enter it exactly as shown. If the reference is missing or wrong, HMRC parks the money in a suspense account, the liability stays flagged as unpaid, and late payment interest starts running even though you sent the cash on time.

Paying by Bank Transfer

Bank transfer is the standard method. Use these HMRC details:

Sort code: 08 32 10
Account number: 12001039
Account name: HMRC Cumbernauld

Put your 17-character payment reference in the bank’s reference field.⁴

Clearing time depends on which network your bank uses:

Faster Payments normally arrives the same day or next working day. This is the default for most online banking transfers under the Faster Payments limit.¹

CHAPS guarantees same-day clearance provided you submit the instruction before your bank’s daily cut-off. Banks usually charge a fee for CHAPS, so it earns its cost mainly for large payments or last-minute deadlines.

Bacs takes three working days. Sent Monday, cleared Wednesday. Sent Friday, cleared the following Wednesday. If you’re not sure which network your transfer will use, check with your bank before you commit to a date close to the deadline.¹

Other Ways to Pay

Debit or Corporate Credit Card

HMRC’s online portal accepts personal debit cards, corporate debit cards, and corporate credit cards. Personal debit cards carry no fee. Corporate debit and credit cards incur a non-refundable processing fee. Personal credit cards are not accepted. Payments made this way clear the same day or next day.⁵

Direct Debit

You can set up a Direct Debit through your company’s HMRC online account. The first Direct Debit takes five working days to process. Subsequent payments under the same authorisation take three working days. Useful if you want the payment scheduled in advance, but the lead time means you can’t set one up the day before the deadline.⁶

From an Overseas Account

Payments from abroad must be in pounds sterling. Use HMRC’s international account details:

BIC: BARCGB22
IBAN: GB62 BARC 2011 4770 2976 90
Account name: HMRC Cumbernauld

Or the Shipley alternative:

BIC: BARCGB22
IBAN: GB03 BARC 2011 4783 9776 92
Account name: HMRC Shipley

Include the 17-character reference in the reference or additional information field. Your bank may add a currency conversion fee, and international transfers can take several working days, so start the process well before the deadline.⁴

Checking HMRC Has Received It

Sign in to your company’s HMRC online account after paying. Payments can take up to seven days to appear. A recent payment first shows in the “Your balance” section, then moves to “View payments and credits” once fully processed. If nothing shows after seven days, confirm with your bank that the transfer actually left your account before you contact HMRC.⁷

What It Costs to Pay Late

Late payment interest runs from the day after the deadline until the payment clears. As of January 2026, the rate is 7.75%, calculated daily on the outstanding balance. It accrues automatically and is not deductible for tax.⁸

If you overpay, HMRC pays repayment interest on the excess. The repayment rate is 3.50% for companies in the quarterly installment regime and 2.75% for everyone else, effective from late December 2025 and early January 2026 respectively. You have four years from the end of the accounting period to claim an overpayment back.⁹

Filing the CT600 late is a separate matter with its own penalties: £100 up to three months late, £200 between three and six months, then 10% of the unpaid tax at six months and another 10% at 12 months.¹⁰

Fixing a Payment Mistake

If you used the wrong reference, contact HMRC with the exact amount paid, the date sent, and the incorrect reference you used. HMRC can manually reallocate the funds from suspense to the correct liability, and any late payment interest triggered by the misallocation should stop once the money is in the right place.

If you underpaid, send a top-up straight away using the same 17-character reference for that accounting period. If you overpaid, request the refund after your CT600 confirms the actual liability; HMRC processes it once the return has been verified, and repayment interest may apply from the date the excess was paid.⁴

If Your Company Is Large

The single-payment deadline described above does not apply to every company. Companies with annual taxable profits above £1.5 million generally pay in four quarterly installments across the accounting period rather than in a lump sum at the end, and companies with profits above £20 million pay on an accelerated installment schedule. The £1.5 million and £20 million thresholds are divided by the number of associated companies in a group. Companies within either regime that owe less than £10,000 in total Corporation Tax for the period can still pay by the standard deadline.¹¹¹²

1
GOV.UK. Pay Your Corporation Tax Bill – Overview
2
GOV.UK. Find Your UTR Number
3
GOV.UK. Pay Your Corporation Tax Bill – At Your Bank or Building Society
4
GOV.UK. Pay Your Corporation Tax Bill – Bank Details
5
GOV.UK. Pay Your Corporation Tax Bill – By Debit or Corporate Credit Card Online
6
GOV.UK. Pay Your Corporation Tax Bill – Direct Debit
7
GOV.UK. Check Your Payment Has Been Received
8
GOV.UK. HMRC Interest Rates for Late and Early Payments
9
GOV.UK. SACM12155 – Overpayment Relief – Time Limits for Making a Claim
10
GOV.UK. Company Tax Returns – Penalties for Late Filing
11
GOV.UK. Pay Corporation Tax If You’re a Large Company
12
GOV.UK. Pay Corporation Tax If You’re a Very Large Company