How to pay corporation tax

Copyright © 2026 LexisNexis
Produced by Tolley in association with Anton Lane of Edge Tax
Corporation Tax
Guidance

How to pay corporation tax

Copyright © 2026 LexisNexis
Produced by Tolley in association with Anton Lane of Edge Tax
Corporation Tax
Guidance
imgtext

Methods of paying corporation tax

All corporation tax must be paid electronically. There are several different methods of making electronic payments:

  1. •

    Direct Debit

  2. •

    internet, telephone or BACS direct credit

  3. •

    corporate debit or credit card

  4. •

    Bank Giro

  5. •

    CHAPs

Corporation tax payment reference number

Each form of payment requires the inclusion of a corporation tax payment reference. The ‘payment reference’ is different to the unique taxpayer reference (‘UTR’) and is a 17-character reference for the accounting period to which the payment relates.

The corporation tax reference is usually printed on the payslip and other HMRC correspondence and consists in part of the unique taxpayer reference (UTR) number. If the company does not know the corporation tax reference number, HMRC should be contacted to confirm this. Failure to quote the payment reference number when making a payment may cause acknowledgement of the payment to be delayed, returned or allocated to the wrong accounting period.

Payment by Direct Debit

In order to pay by Direct Debit, the company has to be registered with

Continue reading the full document
To gain access to additional expert tax guidance, workflow tools, generative tax AI, and tax research, register for a free trial of Tolley+™
TAKE A FREE TRIAL NOW
Anton Lane
Anton Lane linkedinicon twittericon

Managing Partner, Edge Tax LLP , Corporate Tax, OMB, Employment Tax, International Tax, Personal Tax, IHT Trusts and Estates

I started my career helping to sort out tax problems for high net worth individuals, corporations and high profile clients under investigation for suspected serious fraud at Ernst & Young. I specialised in anti avoidance legislation targeting offshore structures and held senior positions with large offshore fiduciary service providers. I established the Edge brand over a decade ago and in 2012 focused the main business on managing tax risks, handling suspected serious fraud cases and assisting clients and advisers with disclosures to HMRC.

Read moreRead more
Powered by Tolley+™
  • 01 Aug 2023 11:11

Home/ Tolley Tax Guidance/ Corporation Tax / Tax administration for companies

Popular Articles

Corporation Tax

Foreign exchange issues

Foreign exchange issuesOverview of foreign exchange provisionsForeign exchange (FX) movements are generally taxed following the rules applicable to the underlying income, expenditure, asset or liability on which they arise, broadly as follows:Capital assetsOn a realisation basis (ie on disposal)

14 Jul 2020 11:44 | Produced by Tolley Read more Read more

Short-term business visitors (STBVs)

Short-term business visitors (STBVs)What is a short-term business visitor?An STBV for UK tax purposes is an individual who performs duties for a non-UK employer and as a part of those duties has been asked to spend a short period working in the UK. There is a common misconception that there is

Read more Read more
Corporation Tax

Withholding tax

Withholding taxIntroductionUK tax must be withheld on UK payments including:•interest•royalties•rental incomeUK withholding tax may be reduced under the provisions of a double tax treaty (DTT). Prior to 1 June 2021, payments of interest and royalties made to EU resident associated companies were

14 Jul 2020 14:01 | Produced by Tolley Read more Read more