HMRC doesn't accept payments by personal credit card. This guide explains why, which payment methods HMRC does accept, how long each one takes to reach HMRC, and what happens if a payment is late.

Information in this article was checked against GOV.UK on 5 October 2026.

ClearScore is a credit broker, not a lender.

Why HMRC doesn't accept personal credit cards

HMRC stopped accepting personal credit cards on 13 January 2018. On that date, rules from the EU's revised Payment Services Directive (PSD2) took effect in the UK. They banned businesses, including HMRC, from charging consumers an extra fee (a "surcharge") for paying by card. These rules remain part of UK law.

Before that date, HMRC charged a fee to cover what it paid to accept a personal credit card. Once it could no longer pass that cost on to consumers, it stopped accepting personal credit cards for tax payments. GOV.UK now states plainly: you cannot pay by personal credit card.

Which cards HMRC does accept

According to GOV.UK, HMRC accepts:

• Personal debit cards: no fee

• Corporate debit cards: a fee applies

• Corporate credit cards: a fee applies

The fee for corporate cards is not refundable. HMRC doesn't publish a fixed percentage. Under the Fees for Payment of Taxes, etc. by Card Regulations 2020, the fee equals the costs HMRC is charged for the payment (the merchant acquirer fee, interchange fee and card scheme fee), so it can vary from card to card.

Why card payments cost the receiver money

When a business accepts a card payment, it pays a merchant service charge to its payment provider. This charge includes the interchange fee paid to the card issuer. For consumer cards, interchange fees are capped at 0.3% of the transaction for credit cards and 0.2% for debit cards. Commercial (business) cards are not covered by these caps. Card scheme and processing fees are added on top, so the total cost varies between businesses and card types.

How you can pay your Self Assessment bill

GOV.UK lists the following ways to pay, and how long each takes to reach HMRC:

Source: GOV.UK, Pay your Self Assessment tax bill, checked October 2026.

You can also pay by cheque through the post, or use the HMRC app to pay through your bank's app or online banking. You can no longer pay at the Post Office. Full details are on GOV.UK's Pay your Self Assessment tax bill page.

Payment deadlines

Self Assessment payments are due by:

• 31 January: any balancing payment for the previous tax year, plus your first payment on account (if you make payments on account). For the 2025/26 tax year, this is 31 January 2027.

• 31 July: your second payment on account (if you make payments on account).

If a deadline falls on a weekend or bank holiday, your payment needs to reach HMRC on the last working day before it. The exception is Faster Payments and card payments: HMRC accepts these on the date you make them, including weekends and bank holidays.

What happens if you pay late

HMRC charges interest on tax paid late. Late payment interest is set at the Bank of England base rate plus 4 percentage points. When we checked GOV.UK on 5 October 2026, it was 7.75%, a rate that has applied since 9 January 2026. It changes when the base rate changes.

You may also have to pay late payment penalties. Under the current Self Assessment rules, these are 5% of the tax unpaid at 30 days, 6 months and 12 months after the due date. Different penalties apply if you use Making Tax Digital for Income Tax. See GOV.UK's penalties for Making Tax Digital for Income Tax.

If you can't pay in full

If you can't pay your tax bill in full, you may be able to set up a payment plan with HMRC to pay in instalments. HMRC will check whether the plan is affordable for you, and you can check your eligibility and apply online through GOV.UK's If you cannot pay your tax bill on time page.

Borrowing to pay a tax bill, for example on a credit card, an overdraft or a loan, adds interest and fees to the cost. Bank of England data show the average interest rate on credit card lending to households was 24.71% in August 2026 (series IUMCCTL, not seasonally adjusted).

ClearScore is a credit broker, not a lender.