HMRC to reduce late payment interest
Late payment interest rates on underpaid taxes will soon decrease again due to the recent reduction in the Bank of England’s base rate. What are the new charges?

On 7 November 2024 an announcement confirmed a reduction in the Bank of England base rate to 4.75% from 5.0%. As HMRC’s late payment and repayment interest rates are linked to the base rate, it has confirmed that they will also come down.
From 18 November 2024 the following rates will apply:
- Late corporation tax paid quarterly – 5.75%
- Interest on overpaid corporation tax – 4.5%
From 26 November, the rates for other taxes will be:
- Late payment interest – 6.75%
- Interest on overpaid tax – 3.75%
Penalty interest can be avoided by paying your tax bill on time. As an added bonus to anyone expecting to receive interest on overpaid taxes, note that such interest is free from income tax.
Related Topics
-
Travel expenses - exempt or not?
You have several employees who travel from home or their workplace in the course of doing their job. Naturally, you meet the cost of their travel but should you be deducting tax and NI from the payments, or are they exempt?
-
Lending to a relative - avoiding the tax trap
Your daughter needs financial help to get her company started. You’ve agreed that your company will lend her the money. Your accountant says that this will trigger a tax charge. What is the charge and how can you legitimately dodge it?
-
Further relaxation of self-assessment thresholds announced
The government has announced changes to the threshold at which some taxpayers need to complete a tax return. What’s the full story?