{"id":20311,"date":"2022-08-15T16:12:02","date_gmt":"2022-08-15T15:12:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/taxfix.com\/en-uk\/?p=20311"},"modified":"2026-06-18T10:41:43","modified_gmt":"2026-06-18T09:41:43","slug":"when-do-you-have-to-pay-taxes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/taxfix.com\/en-uk\/self-assessment-basics\/when-do-you-have-to-pay-taxes\/","title":{"rendered":"When Do You Have to Pay Tax in the UK?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

For most UK taxpayers, income tax is deducted automatically through <\/strong>PAYE<\/strong><\/a> each pay period, so you never have to think about it. But if you file a Self Assessment<\/a> tax return, you must pay any tax owed by 31 January<\/strong> following the end of the tax year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are two main scenarios<\/strong>: you’re employed <\/strong>and tax is sorted for you, or you have untaxed income<\/strong><\/a> <\/strong>and need to handle it yourself through Self Assessment. And if your Self Assessment bill is over \u00a31,000, there’s a third thing to get your head around \u2013 payments on account<\/strong><\/a> (more on that below).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this guide, we’ll walk you through all the key deadlines, what happens if you miss them, and how to stay on top of it all. Let’s get into it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When Do Employees Pay Tax?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If you’re employed<\/strong>, you pay income tax through PAYE \u2013 Pay As You Earn<\/strong>. Your employer deducts tax straight from your wages before the money even hits your bank account, based on your tax code<\/a>. It happens every single time you’re paid, whether that’s weekly, fortnightly, or monthly. The good news? You don’t need to do a thing.<\/strong> Your employer handles it all and pays HMRC<\/a> on your behalf.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The only exception is if you’ve got untaxed income on top of your salary, like rental income<\/a>, freelance work, or investment gains<\/a> above your allowances. If your total income goes above \u00a3100,000<\/strong>, your Personal Allowance is tapered<\/strong>, which can push your effective tax rate up to 60%, often called the \u00a3100k tax trap<\/strong><\/a>. You’re not automatically required to file a Self Assessment tax return at this level, but filing is usually the best way to manage your adjusted net income and avoid that 60% effective rate. If you want to reduce your exposure, you’ll need to plan ahead \u2013 not just file a return.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Self Assessment tax returns explained<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If you’re <\/strong>self-employed<\/strong><\/a>,<\/strong> a landlord<\/strong><\/a>, a <\/strong>higher earner<\/strong><\/a>,<\/strong> or you’ve got any other untaxed income<\/strong>, Self Assessment is how you declare it and pay what you owe. The key date to remember is 31 January <\/strong>\u2013 that’s the deadline to file your return<\/a> and<\/em> pay your bill.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So for the 2025\/26 tax year <\/strong>(6 April 2025 to 5 April 2026), you’ve got until 31 January 2027<\/strong> to sort everything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If it’s your first time filing, you’ll need to register for Self Assessment<\/a> before you can do anything else. The deadline to register is 5 October <\/strong>following the end of the tax year. So for 2025\/26, that’s 5 October 2026. Miss that, and you could already be racking up penalties<\/a> before you’ve even started.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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