The 2026/27 tax year runs from 6 April 2026 to 5 April 2027. The date that catches most people is 31 January 2027: the deadline to file a 2025/26 return online, pay what you owe and make your first payment on account for 2026/27.
Miss a filing date and HMRC charges a penalty even if you owe nothing; pay late and interest runs on top. Below is every date that matters for employees, the self-employed and landlords, in order.
The dates, in order
- Tax year 2026/27 beginsNew tax codes apply. The personal allowance stays at £12,570, frozen until April 2031, so most employees keep code 1257L.
- P60 for 2025/26Your employer must give you a P60 showing your pay and tax for the year that ended on 5 April.
- P11D deadlineEmployers report benefits in kind, such as a company car or health insurance, and give you a copy.
- Second payment on accountSelf assessment taxpayers pay the second advance instalment towards their 2025/26 bill.
- Register for self assessmentIf you had untaxed income in 2025/26 and have never filed a return, tell HMRC by today.
- Paper tax return deadlinePaper returns for 2025/26 must reach HMRC by midnight.
- File online to pay through PAYEFile by today and HMRC can collect a small balance through your tax code instead of one lump sum.
- Online return and payment deadlineFile your 2025/26 return online, pay the balance for 2025/26 and make the first payment on account for 2026/27.
- Tax year 2026/27 endsLast day to use this year's ISA allowance. Any allowance left unused is lost.
How far into the tax year each deadline falls, counting from 6 April 2026:
If you are an employee
PAYE does most of the work, so employees mainly need to check three things. First, your April payslip: a new tax code often arrives with the new year, and a wrong one runs all year. The payslip guide explains every line. Second, your P60, due by 31 May, should match the year-to-date figures on your final payslip for 2025/26. Third, if you have a company car or other perk, your P11D copy by 6 July shows the value HMRC will tax.
With the personal allowance frozen at £12,570, a pay rise in April is taxed from the first pound above it. Check what yours is really worth in the pay rise calculator, or see your new monthly figure in the take-home pay calculator.
If you file a tax return
You need a return if you had untaxed income, such as self-employed profit or rent, or if you have to pay the child benefit high income charge because your income is over £60,000. Newcomers must register by 5 October 2026 for the 2025/26 year.
Paper returns are due by 31 October 2026. Online returns can wait until 31 January 2027, but filing by 30 December 2026 lets employees and pensioners who owe a small amount pay it through next year's tax code, spread across twelve payslips.
The 31 January 2027 deadline falls 300 days into the 2026/27 tax year
Payments on account, worked through
The first January in self assessment is the one that hurts, because you pay one year's tax and half of the next at the same time. Take a landlord whose letting started in 2025/26, with £30,000 of profit and no other income. Income tax on that is £3,486, and HMRC asks for payments on account of half that figure towards 2026/27.
| Due date | What it pays | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| 31 January 2027 | All of the 2025/26 bill | £3,486 |
| 31 January 2027 | First payment on account for 2026/27 | £1,743 |
| 31 July 2027 | Second payment on account for 2026/27 | £1,743 |
| Due on 31 January 2027 | Combined | £5,229 |
If profit stays at £30,000 in 2026/27, the two payments on account cover that year's bill exactly and the following January brings nothing extra, only the next payment on account. If profit falls, you can ask HMRC to reduce the payments on account. Setting aside a fixed amount each month, even in an easy-access account, stops January being a shock; the savings calculator shows what it grows to.
Payments on account are not extra tax. They are next year's tax paid early, and any overpayment is refunded or set against the next bill.
Before the tax year ends
5 April 2027 is the last day to use your ISA allowance for 2026/27. It cannot be carried over, so whatever you have not paid in by then is lost for good.
It is also the last chance to cut this year's adjusted net income. Someone earning £104,000 is inside the 60% tax trap; a £4,000 salary sacrifice before year end costs them only £1,520 in take-home pay and restores their full allowance. The salary sacrifice guide covers how to set it up, and our methodology explains every calculation.
Take-home pay calculatorYour salary after income tax, National Insurance, student loan and pension. Open itQuestions people ask
When does the 2026/27 tax year start and end?
It runs from 6 April 2026 to 5 April 2027. Every UK tax year starts on 6 April.
When is the self assessment deadline for 2025/26?
31 October 2026 for paper returns and 31 January 2027 for online returns. Any tax owed is also due by 31 January 2027.
When should I get my P60?
By 31 May. The P60 for the 2025/26 tax year had to be with you by 31 May 2026. Keep it, because you may need it to prove your income or claim back tax.
What are payments on account?
Advance payments towards next year's tax bill, each half of the previous year's bill, due on 31 January and 31 July. A £3,486 bill means two payments of £1,743.
