HMRC interest rates
Following the recent cut in the Bank of England base rate from 0.25% to 0.1%, HMRC has announced changes to the rates of interest they charge.
The new late payment interest rate, applied to the main taxes and duties, took effect from 30 March 2020, when the interest rate was set at 2.75% (reduced from 3.25%). This was the first change since August 2018.
The rate of interest charged on underpaid quarterly instalment payments of Corporation Tax is 1.1% as of 30 March 2020. The rate has been set at 1.75% since August 2018 and was briefly reduced to 1.25% on 23 March 2020 before the latest cut took effect.
The repayment interest rates applied to the main taxes and duties remains unchanged at 0.5%.
Following the recent increase in the Bank of England base rate to 0.75%, HMRC has announced changes to the rates of interest they charge.
The new rates of interest charged on underpaid quarterly instalment payments of 1.75% (was 1.50%), took effect on 13 August 2018.
The interest rate for all other non-quarterly instalment payments applied to the main taxes and duties that HMRC currently charges, will take effect from 21 August 2018 when the late payment interest rate increases to 3.25% (from 3.00%).
The repayment interest rates applied to the main taxes and duties that HMRC pays interest on remains unchanged at 0.5%.
Changes which were first announced in the 2009 Budget to harmonise interest rates across all HMRC taxes recently became law. These changes fully take effect following the September meeting of the monetary policy committee (MPC) and result in some HMRC interest rates changing even where there was no change in rate announced.
The interest rates charged on late payments by taxpayers will be calculated using the Bank of England base rate plus 2.5% whilst the interest rate on tax repayments will be the Bank of England base rate less 1% (with a 0.5% minimum).
The main changes are as follows:
- an increase to the repayment rate for quarterly instalment payments and early payments of Corporation Tax (CT) not due by instalments (for accounting periods ending on or after 1 July 1999) which take effect from 21 September 2009
- an increase in both the late payment and overpayment rates of interest for all other taxes and National Insurance contributions (NICs) which take effect from 29 September 2009
The following table contains a summary of the main changes:
Tax/Duty |
Late payments current rate |
Late payments new rate |
Over payments current rate |
Over payments new rate |
With effect from |
Income Tax, NICs, Capital Gains Tax, Stamp Duties |
2.5% |
3.0% |
0.0% |
0.5% |
29/9/09 |
VAT, Excise Duties, Environmental Taxes, Insurance Premium Tax and Custom Duty (**Statutory interest) |
2.5% |
3.0% |
0.0% |
**0.5% |
29/9/09 |
CT Quarterly Instalment Payments (QIPs) |
1.5% |
1.5% |
0.25% |
0.5% |
21/9/09 |
Inheritance Tax, Capital Tranfer Tax and Estate Duty |
0.0% |
3.0% |
0.0% |
0.5% |
29/9/09 |