Can you pay HMRC by credit card?
Yes — but with conditions. Since January 2018, HMRC no longer accepts personal credit card payments. However, they do accept corporate and business credit cards.
The distinction matters:
- Personal credit card: Rejected by HMRC
- Business/corporate credit card: Accepted, but HMRC charges a non-refundable fee
- Debit card (personal or business): Accepted, no fee for personal debit cards
The HMRC credit card fee varies because it's set by the card issuer's processing bank, not by HMRC directly. It's typically a small percentage of the payment.
What taxes can you pay by card?
HMRC accepts card payments for:
- Self-assessment income tax — your annual tax bill
- VAT — quarterly VAT returns
- Corporation tax — for limited companies
- Employers' PAYE and National Insurance — payroll taxes
- Construction Industry Scheme (CIS) — contractor deductions
You can pay via the HMRC online payment portal using your tax reference number.
The fee structure
HMRC's corporate credit card fee is set by the acquiring bank and isn't published as a fixed percentage. In practice, expect around 0.5-1.5% depending on your card issuer.
For context:
- £5,000 tax bill: ~£25-75 in card fees
- £10,000 tax bill: ~£50-150 in card fees
- £20,000 tax bill: ~£100-300 in card fees
Whether this is worth it depends on your cashflow situation and what rewards you earn. If you're earning 1-1.5% back in rewards, the fee roughly breaks even — and you get the cashflow benefit on top.
The bill pay alternative
If HMRC's direct card fee seems too high, or you want to use a personal credit card (which HMRC won't accept directly), you can use a bill pay service to pay HMRC indirectly:
- Enter HMRC's bank details and your payment reference in a bill pay service
- Pay with any credit card (including personal and Amex)
- The service sends a bank transfer to HMRC
Bill pay fees are typically 1.5-2.5% — potentially higher than HMRC's direct fee, but this route works with any card including Amex and personal credit cards.
HMRC's bank details for direct payments are published on GOV.UK for each tax type. Use the correct reference number (your UTR for self-assessment, VAT registration number for VAT, etc.) so HMRC can allocate the payment.
VAT payments
Under MTD for VAT (already live), you submit quarterly VAT returns digitally. The VAT bill is then due for payment.
Putting VAT on a credit card makes particular sense because:
- VAT bills are often large (thousands of pounds)
- They're quarterly, so you can plan around card billing cycles
- The cashflow benefit is significant — 30-45 extra days on a large quarterly payment
Example: £8,000 quarterly VAT bill paid by credit card on day 1 of billing cycle. You don't pay the card for 45 days. That's £8,000 of interest-free float. At 1% rewards, you earn £80 back. Even after the HMRC fee, the cashflow benefit is worth it if you'd otherwise be dipping into an overdraft.
Corporation tax
Limited companies pay corporation tax 9 months after their financial year end. That's a long lead time, but the bill can be substantial.
Paying corporation tax by credit card works the same way — through the HMRC portal with a corporate card, or via bill pay for any card.
For large corporation tax bills, consider whether the credit card fee is worth the cashflow benefit. On a £50,000 bill, even 1% in fees is £500. But if the alternative is breaking a fixed deposit or drawing on an overdraft, £500 might be the cheaper option.
Self-assessment
Self-employed individuals and landlords pay self-assessment by 31 January (and potentially 31 July for payments on account).
Under MTD for Income Tax (starting April 2026), you'll also be making quarterly submissions — though it's not yet clear whether quarterly payments will be required alongside quarterly reporting. Currently, the payment schedule remains twice-yearly.
Using a credit card for self-assessment:
- Pay through HMRC's portal with a corporate/business card
- Or use bill pay with any card
- Time the payment close to the deadline to maximise your cashflow benefit
- Earn rewards on what is otherwise a pure cost
Timing tax payments around credit card cycles
The key to maximising value: pay your tax bill just after your credit card billing cycle starts. This gives you the longest possible interest-free period.
- Check when your credit card statement closes
- Pay HMRC the day after your statement closes
- Your next statement won't be due for ~55 days
- That's nearly two months of float on your tax bill
For quarterly VAT payers, this can mean tens of thousands of pounds staying in your account for an extra 45-55 days per quarter.
Earning rewards on tax spend
Tax payments are pure outflow — you're never going to enjoy paying them. But you can at least earn rewards:
On £20,000/year in tax payments:
- Capital on Tap: 20,000 points (~£200 value)
- Funding Circle: £200 cashback
- Amex Gold Business: 20,000 MR points (transferable to Avios)
That's a return flight to Europe, funded entirely by tax payments.
Getting started
- Check which credit card you have — it must be a business/corporate card for direct HMRC payments
- Visit the HMRC card payment page and enter your tax reference
- Pay by card — note the fee before confirming
- Or use a bill pay service for more card flexibility
- Time payments to maximise your interest-free period
See our council tax guide for paying local taxes by card, and our full card comparison for the best cards for tax payments.