If you have corporation tax due, there are 3 ways to make a payment:
- Direct Debit - Set up and make changes to a Direct Debit through your company’s HMRC online Account
- Bank Transfer - You can pay HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) by Faster Payments, CHAPS or Bacs.
- By debit or corporate credit card online - Pay your Corporation Tax online
You can view the full steps on how to sign up for a HMRC account here
17-character payment reference
In all cases you will be required to provide a payment reference number, this is to ensure the payment you make is allocated to the correct company and accounting period you are making payment for.
It’s important to note that GetGround can not provide the payment reference number, this will need to be obtained or provided directly by HMRC.
You’ll find your reference number:
- on a payment reminder letter sent by HMRC, if this has been received by GetGround we would have uploaded it to the document section of the online portal.
- in your company’s HMRC online account - choose ‘view Corporation Tax statement’, ‘accounting periods’, then select the correct period
Your payment reference number changes with each accounting period, so you’ll need to use a different one each time you pay.
The payment reference number consists of 17 characters and follows this format: '1234567890A00101A'. It is divided into four parts: 1234567890, A001, 01, and A.
- 1234567890 - the first ten digits are the company UTR number. This can be found in your GetGround accounts under - My Investments, select the company, then select the company tab.
- A001 - This is standard and will not change.
- 01 - This relates to the accounting period you are making a payment for and will charge each year increasing by 1. For example, for the second accounting period, the number will be 02.
- A - This is standard and will not change.
Using the incorrect payment reference number could result in the payment being delayed or allocated to a different company.
Using the incorrect payment reference number could result in the payment being delayed or allocated to a different company.
Therefore, if you can not obtain the payment reference via the HMRC online account or HMRC letter we would recommend you call HMRC to obtain the payment reference number, see the contact details below, please note you will need your company UTR number to hand.
Telephone:
0300 200 3410
Outside UK:
+44 151 268 0571
Direct Debit
To make payment via Direct Debit you will first need to set up an HMRC Online Account (Government Gateway Account) to do this please follow the instructions here.
Once your Government gateway account has been set up and you have added Corporation tax to the account you will then be able to set up the Direct Debit and make payment here.
Allow 5 working days to process a Direct Debit the first time you set one up. It should also take 3 working days each time you pay once you’ve already authorised a Direct Debit from HMRC.
Payments will appear on your bank statements as ‘HMRC NDDS’.
Bank Transfer
To pay your corporation tax bill via bank transfer this can be done using the details provided by HMRC here
To make the payment via bank transfer you will need the corporation tax payment reference number provided by HMRC. Please see below how to obtain the 17-character reference number.
Payments made by Faster Payments (online or telephone banking) will usually reach HMRC on the same or the next day, including weekends and bank holidays.
CHAPS payments usually reach HMRC on the same working day if you pay within your bank’s processing times. Bacs payments usually take 3 working days.
By debit or corporate credit card online
To make payment for your corporation tax online via debit or corporate credit card please follow the link here
To make the payment via bank transfer you will need the corporation tax payment reference number provided by HMRC. Please see below how to obtain the 17-character reference number.
Payments made online by debit or corporate credit card can take up to three working days to reach HMRC.