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Late tax return penalty calculator

Still haven't submitted your Self Assessment tax return? Quickly calculate how much you can expect to pay in late penalties and interest.

How to pay a tax fine

HMRC can fine you for missing multiple deadlines. You can be charged for registering for Self Assessment late, for filing your tax return late and for paying your tax bill late. And it doesn’t end there. You can be charged interest on top of this which increases the longer you leave it 😱

We’ll cover how much you pay for each in a moment (or you can just use the calculator above for instant results!) but let us first tell you how you pay:

Faster payments (online or by telephone banking)
CHAPS (but be aware this will cost you money on top of the bill)
Credit/debit card online
Direct from your bank

These are the fastest ways to pay with payment most likely landing on the same day or the next day. If you’re looking for a slower way to pay (and we don’t judge you here…):

BACS
Direct Debit
Cheque

These will all take about three working days, except for Direct Debit if you’ve not set one up with HMRC before. If you’re setting up for the first time, allow five working days for this payment to go through.

How much do I pay for a late tax return penalty?

Take a look at the below tables to see what you’ll be fined for missing each deadline👇

Late filing

How late you are	Fine (each gets added to the others!)
between 1 day and 3 months	£100 flat fine
between 3 months and 6 months	£10 each day
between 6 months and 12 months	£300 flat or 5% of your tax bill (whichever is greater)
over 12 months	£300 flat or 5% of your tax bill (whichever is greater)

Late payment

How late you are	Late payment penalty
between 1 day and 30 days	0
between 30 days and 6 months	5% of your tax bill
between 6 months and 12 months	another 5%
over 12 months	and another 5%

Interest

Period in which you were late	Annual interest rate
Since 7 April 2020	2.6%
21 August 2018 – 6 April 2020	3.25%
21 November 2017 – 20 August 2018	3%
23 August 2016 – 20 November 2017	2.75%
29 September 2009 – 22 August 2016	3%
before 29 September 2009	see the full list here