HMRC will pay you interest

It is not that well-known that HMRC will pay you interest on tax paid early.  The interest rate is only 0.5% though, so it isn’t going to change your life.

In the case of Corporation Tax, any payment is due 9 months and a day after your year-end.  If you have a business bank account that pays no interest and the cash to pay your tax early you can pay your tax as soon as you have filed your return.   After the 9 months is up HMRC will send you the interest calculated.

What spare cash?

See my earlier post on paying your debts first. In the situation where you have cash in the bank that you aren’t putting to good use and no outstanding debts paying your tax liability early will yield a small benefit.

Get your tax return done early

It is difficult to plan your cash flow if you don’t know how much tax you are due to pay.  Even if you don’t want to pay your tax early, it is helpful to know how much cash you will need to set aside.  The later you leave it to file your tax return the more pressure you can end up putting on your cash flow.  More importantly the later you leave it, the more pressure you put on your accountant.  Most accountants increase their fees as tax deadlines approach – or to put it another way you are likely to get a discount for starting early!

Don’t be late!

It won’t surprise anyone that HMRC will charge interest on late payments.  The interest rate isn’t the measly 0.5% mentioned above but is currently 3%.  As Bank of England rate increases  – expect this to increase too!

For support and advice on preparing your annual accounts and filing your tax returns contact Alterledger or visit the website alterledger.com.