When you submit a Self Assessment tax return, you’ll get a: Self Assessment statement (also known as your bill) tax calculation (also known as an SA302 or tax computation) Your Self Assessment statement is a summary of what you owe and payments you have made. Your tax calculation is a summary of the tax you owe for the tax year. This guide is also available in Welsh (Cymraeg) . If you use Making Tax Digital for Income Tax You must pay any amount listed as due in either your: Self Assessment account Making Tax Digital for Income Tax account You can check both these accounts in your HMRC online services . Your Self Assessment statement may show an amount that has been ‘transferred to digital’. This means the amount has been moved into your new Making Tax Digital for Income Tax account. Paying your Self Assessment tax bill You need to pay your Self Assessment tax bill by midnight on 31 January (following the tax year you’re paying for) to avoid a penalty . Find out what to do if you cannot pay your bill .

Tax calculation (SA302)

Your tax calculation (SA302) shows: your total income on which tax is due any allowances and relief you have the total amount you owe for the tax year how HM Revenue and Customs ( HMRC ) has worked out the amount you owe It does not include any: payments on account (payments towards your next bill) you have made payments you have made into a Budget Payment Plan other outstanding amounts (such as unpaid tax or penalties) When you’ll get your tax calculation You’ll get a calculation when you’ve filed your Self Assessment tax return or if the amount you owe changes. If you filed online, you can view this in your online account before you submit your return. You cannot view your calculation for up to 72 hours after you submit your return. If your payment is due in this time, you will need to save a copy of this before you submit. If you filed a paper return, HMRC will send your calculation by post. How to work out how much tax you need to pay HMRC will send you a Self Assessment statement telling you how much you need to pay. If you submit your tax return late or close to the deadline Your statement may not arrive before your payment is due. If you do not have a statement, you’ll need to check your online account and view your current balance to work out how much tax you owe. Get a copy of your tax calculation Find out how to get a copy of your tax calculation SA302 , for example if you’re applying for a mortgage or if you need one on HMRC header paper.

‘Payments on account’ are payments towards your next tax bill (including Class 4 National Insurance if you’re self-employed). They help spread the cost of your tax by making payments in 2 instalments. Each payment is half of the tax you owed last year. These payments are due by midnight on 31 January and 31 July. You must make these 2 payments, unless either: the amount of tax you owed last year was less than £1,000 last year you paid more than 80% of the tax you owed outside of Self Assessment (for example through your tax code or because your bank had already deducted interest on your savings) Your Self Assessment statement or online account will show you how much they are, if you need to pay them. How payments on account are calculated Payments on account are calculated based on your estimated earnings (usually the amount you earned the previous year). Each payment is usually half of the tax you owed the previous year. If you actually earn more than estimated, you may still have tax to pay on top of your payments on account. This is known as a ‘balancing payment’. If you earn less than estimated, you may be able to claim a tax refund . If you need to make a balancing payment This is worked out by deducting the payments on account you’ve made from the total tax you owe. You must make your balancing payment by midnight on 31 January the following year. This will also include anything you owe for capital gains or student loans (if you’re self-employed). If you made payments on account last year If you made payments on account last year, you’ll need to pay both: your first payment on account towards your next bill any balancing payment you owe (if you still have tax to pay after last year’s 2 payments on account) Example Your bill for the 2023 to 2024 tax year is £3,000. Based on your 2022 to 2023 earnings, you made 2 payments of £900 each (£1,800 in total) on 31 January 2024 and 31 July 2024 towards this – these were your ‘payments on account’. Because your payments on account did not cover the amount of tax you owed, you have to make a ‘balancing payment’. Your amount due by midnight on 31 January 2025 is made up of: your ‘balancing payment’ of £1,200 for the 2023 to 2024 tax year (£3,000 minus £1,800) the first payment on account of £1,500 (half your 2023 to 2024 tax bill) towards your 2024 to 2025 tax bill This means the total you will have paid is £2,700 by 31 January 2025. You then make a second payment on account of £1,500 on 31 July 2025. If your tax calculation for the 2024 to 2025 tax year is more than £3,000 (the total of your 2 payments on account), you’ll need to make a ‘balancing payment’ by 31 January 2026. If you did not make payments on account last year If you did not make any payments on account last year (for example, because it’s your first time filing Self Assessment) you’ll need to pay both: the full amount of your tax calculation your first payment on account towards your next bill Example Your bill for the 2023 to 2024 tax year is £3,000. The total tax to pay by midnight on 31 January 2025 would be £4,500. This includes: your £3,000 tax bill for 2023 to 2024 the first payment on account of £1,500 (half your 2023 to 2024 tax bill) towards your 2024 to 2025 tax bill You then make a second payment on account of £1,500 on 31 July 2025. If your tax bill for the 2024 to 2025 tax year is more than £3,000 (the total of your 2 payments on account), you’ll also need to make a ‘balancing payment’ by 31 January 2026 as well as your first payment on account for the next tax year. If your total tax for the year is £3,000, the only payment you will need to make by 31 January 2026 is your first payment on account for the following tax year. Check your payments on account Sign in to your online account . Select the option to view your latest Self Assessment return. Select ‘View statements’. You’ll then be able to see: payments on account you’ve already made payments you need to make towards your next tax calculation If you filed a paper return, you can check the payments on account you made on your last Self Assessment Statement. Reduce your payments on account If you know the tax you owe is going to be lower than last year, you can ask HM Revenue and Customs ( HMRC ) to reduce your payments on account. You can do this either online or by post. You will need to include the amount you expect to make so HMRC can use this to work out your new payments on account. To reduce your payments on account online Sign in to your online account . Select the option to view your latest Self Assessment return. Select ‘Reduce payments on account’. To reduce your payments on account by post Send form SA303 to your tax office. If your bill is higher than you expected If you reduce your payments on account and your tax bill is higher than expected, you’ll be charged interest on the difference. You can check the interest rates to find out how much interest you’ll be charged.

Understand your Self Assessment tax bill

Q: Self Assessment statement

Your Self Assessment statement shows: the tax you owe at the time the statement is sent any payments on account due any payments you have made (this will show as ‘CR’ on the statement) any outstanding amounts (for example from previous tax years or interest) your ‘balancing payment’ – this is the amount you need to pay when your payments on account do not cover the tax you owe When you’ll get your Self Assessment statement You’ll get a statement after you file your tax return or if your circumstances change. This will either be available online or sent through the post. If you submit your tax return late or near to the submission deadline, you may not get a Self Assessment statement before your payment deadline. This means you may need to use your tax calculation to work out how much tax you owe. If you want more help understanding your statement You can watch a video explaining your Self Assessment statement .

Overview

When you submit a Self Assessment tax return, you’ll get a:

Self Assessment statement (also known as your bill)
tax calculation (also known as an SA302 or tax computation)

Your Self Assessment statement is a summary of what you owe and payments you have made.

Your tax calculation is a summary of the tax you owe for the tax year.

This guide is also available in Welsh (Cymraeg).

If you use Making Tax Digital for Income Tax

You must pay any amount listed as due in either your:

Self Assessment account
Making Tax Digital for Income Tax account

You can check both these accounts in your HMRC online services.

Your Self Assessment statement may show an amount that has been ‘transferred to digital’. This means the amount has been moved into your new Making Tax Digital for Income Tax account.

Paying your Self Assessment tax bill

You need to pay your Self Assessment tax bill by midnight on 31 January (following the tax year you’re paying for) to avoid a penalty.

Find out what to do if you cannot pay your bill.

View a printable version of the whole guide

Understand your Self Assessment tax bill

Overview

If you use Making Tax Digital for Income Tax

Paying your Self Assessment tax bill

Is this page useful?

Help us improve GOV.UK

Help us improve GOV.UK

Cookies on GOV.UK

Understand your Self Assessment tax bill

Overview

If you use Making Tax Digital for Income Tax

Paying your Self Assessment tax bill

Related content

Is this page useful?

Help us improve GOV.UK

Help us improve GOV.UK