Does everyone make payments on account?

No. HMRC sets the requirement based on its rules and your circumstances. This planner cannot decide eligibility, so only include them after checking your statement or HMRC guidance.

What is a balancing payment?

It is the remaining amount for a completed tax year after payments on account already made towards that year are deducted from the tax calculation.

Can I reduce payments on account?

If you know the next bill will be lower, HMRC may let you apply to reduce them. Reducing too far can lead to interest, so use your current records and HMRC guidance.

Self Assessment Tax Payment Calendar UK | January & July

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Self Assessment Tax Payment Calendar · UKTax & Business

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Useful next calculations

Related to this calculation

Set aside self-employed tax

Separate current tax, balancing payment and January and July cash targets.

Put the payment into the household plan

Keep the full monthly effect visible alongside bills, annual renewals and a savings target.

Rates & sources

A cash-flow view of the values you enter from a Self Assessment calculation or HMRC statement. It uses the usual 31 January and 31 July due dates, but it does not determine whether payments on account apply or calculate your tax.

Balancing paymentusually due 31 January

First payment on accountusually due 31 January

Second payment on accountusually due 31 July

Payment on account amountusually half the prior tax due

Source: GOV.UK — Self Assessment payments on account — check the linked guidance and any live quote before acting.

When to use this calculator

Before accepting a pay change, bonus, pension contribution, or salary-sacrifice option.
When you want to compare employed, self-employed, or dividend-based income scenarios.
When you need a simple take-home estimate before running payroll or filing returns.
When you are approaching the £100,000 income level and want to understand the personal allowance taper effect.
When you are planning a salary sacrifice arrangement and need to see the net pay impact before agreeing terms.

A realistic UK planning example

Use these sample inputs as a quick scenario test, then change one variable at a time to compare outcomes.

Tax calculation for the year (£)

25 years

Payments on account already paid (£)

Include payments on account

After entering these figures, review balancing payment, due by next 31 january and due by 31 july together rather than in isolation — each metric tells a different part of the story. Then rerun the tool with one input adjusted to see which variable has the biggest effect on all three outputs before you settle on a plan.

How to read your results

Balancing Payment

Use this metric to compare scenarios side by side and understand how changes in the key inputs drive the final outcome. If the figure surprises you, isolate one variable at a time and rerun the calculation to identify which assumption is responsible.

Due by Next 31 January

Due by 31 July

Method & assumptionsAuthoritative sources

This cash-flow tool maps the figures you enter from a Self Assessment calculation or HMRC statement into a balancing payment, the next January amount and the following July payment on account. It also compares the January amount with a tax reserve you have already set aside.

Payments on account are normally two instalments of half the prior tax bill when HMRC says they apply. The tool intentionally asks you to confirm their inclusion instead of deciding the rule from partial information.

It is not a tax return, tax calculation or HMRC statement. Check your live online account and official deadlines, especially if income has changed, you have paid tax through PAYE, or you are considering reducing payments on account.

Common mistakes

!Entering gross income when you really want take-home pay, or vice versa.
!Ignoring pension contributions, deductions, or local tax rules that change the result.
!Comparing monthly and annual figures without standardising them first.
!Overlooking the National Insurance threshold changes that apply mid-year when rates or bands are adjusted in a Budget.
!Assuming a salary sacrifice benefit reduces take-home pay by the full gross amount, rather than only the after-tax cost.

What to do next

Check the same scenario with related pay or deduction calculators to see the full picture.
Keep a copy of the assumptions you used so you can compare next tax year or pay period accurately.
Read the related guides below if you are choosing between multiple income or deduction options.
If you are self-employed, run the self-employment tax calculator alongside this result to compare the net position against employed income.
Check whether increasing your pension contribution by even one or two percent changes the take-home significantly — use the pension calculator next.

Frequently asked

The usual deadline is 31 January for a balancing payment and first payment on account, then 31 July for the second payment on account. Check your HMRC statement because your own position can differ.

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