Answers · UK 2025/26
How can I pay my Self Assessment bill in instalments before the deadline?
Set up a Budget Payment Plan through your HMRC online account if your previous payments are up to date. You choose a weekly or monthly Direct Debit amount, and the credit builds up against your next bill. It is voluntary, you can pause or change it anytime, and it is different from a Time to Pay arrangement for debt.
Full answer
A Budget Payment Plan lets you spread the cost of a future Self Assessment bill by paying ahead in regular instalments, smoothing out the 31 January and 31 July dates. It is for people who are up to date, not those already behind - if you have missed a payment you would need a Time to Pay arrangement instead. Worked example: Marta expects her 2026/27 bill to be about GBP 6,000. Rather than finding it all on 31 January 2028, she sets up a Budget Payment Plan in spring 2026 paying GBP 500 a month by Direct Debit. By the time her balancing payment is calculated, she has built up GBP 6,000 of credit, which HMRC offsets against the bill. If she overpays, the surplus is refunded; if she underpays, she settles the difference by the deadline. You set the amount and frequency, and can change, pause for up to six months, or cancel it whenever you like. It only covers Self Assessment Income Tax and Class 4 NI - not VAT or Corporation Tax. This is ideal for self-employed people with irregular cash flow who want the discipline of paying as they earn. Use the self-employed tax calculator to project your annual liability, then divide it into manageable instalments. Set one up via your HMRC online account; guidance is at gov.uk/pay-self-assessment-tax-bill/pay-weekly-monthly.
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This answer is informational only and does not constitute financial, tax or legal advice. Figures are for the 2025/26 UK tax year. See our methodology and sources.