UK tax year dates: when it starts, ends, and what is due
The UK tax year runs from 6 April to 5 April. The current tax year is 6 April 2026 to 5 April 2027, and the next starts on 6 April 2027. The online Self Assessment return for a tax year, and the tax owed, are due by 31 January after it ends.
Last updated 16 Oct 2026 · Joel Lister, founder of Radar
Who this is for: anyone in the UK paying tax: employees, the self-employed, landlords, and employers with payroll dates to keep.
Who it is not for: company accounting periods and Corporation Tax, which follow each company’s own year end (see the company deadlines calculator).
| Tax year | Starts | Ends | Online return and tax due |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 to 2025 | 6 April 2024 | 5 April 2025 | 31 January 2026 |
| 2025 to 2026 | 6 April 2025 | 5 April 2026 | 31 January 2027 |
| 2026 to 2027 (now) | 6 April 2026 | 5 April 2027 | 31 January 2028 |
| 2027 to 2028 | 6 April 2027 | 5 April 2028 | 31 January 2029 |
The current tax year is “6 April 2026 to 5 April 2027” (GOV.UK); each return is due 31 January after its year ends (GOV.UK).
The year’s dates
- 5 April: the tax year ends. The ISA allowance is per tax year, £20,000 in 2026 to 2027, and does not carry over (GOV.UK).
- 6 April: the new tax year starts.
- 31 May: if you were working for an employer on 5 April, they must have given you a P60 by now (GOV.UK).
- 6 July: employers report expenses and benefits on P11D; Class 1A National Insurance is paid by 22 July (GOV.UK).
- 31 July: the second payment on account, if you make them (GOV.UK).
- 5 October: tell HMRC if you need to file a Self Assessment return for the first time (GOV.UK).
- 31 October: paper returns must reach HMRC (GOV.UK).
- 31 January: online returns, the tax owed, and the first payment on account for the year after (GOV.UK, GOV.UK).
Payments on account
Payments on account are payments towards your next tax bill, in two halves: each is half of the tax you owed last year, due by midnight on 31 January and 31 July. You do not have to make them if last year’s bill was under £1,000, or if more than 80 per cent of your tax was paid outside Self Assessment, through your tax code for example. If you expect a lower bill you can ask HMRC to reduce them, in your online account or on form SA303; if the bill turns out higher, interest is charged on the difference (GOV.UK).
The full Self Assessment calendar is in the Self Assessment tax return guide, and a company’s own dates come from the company deadlines calculator.
What Radar does with this
- Life setup asks: “Do you file a Self Assessment tax return?” The online deadline is 31 January. Radar reminds you two months ahead. Radar reminds you 60 days ahead.
- Life setup asks: “Do you want to use your ISA allowance before it resets?” The allowance runs from 6 April to 5 April and doesn’t carry over. Radar reminds you 30 days ahead.
- Life setup asks whether you file a Self Assessment return and whether you use an ISA, and puts the 31 January deadline and the 5 April allowance on your Radar ahead of time, every year.
Radar reads the calendars, task lists and CRM you connect, and the dates you give it. It writes back only when you press a button, and it never sends anything by itself.
Limitations and status
- Radar reminds you of the dates; it does not file a return or work out your tax.
- Scotland has its own Income Tax bands; the dates above are the same across the UK.
Also free: Radar Lite, the habit tracker on its own, for you and anyone 13 or over in the family.
Questions
When does the tax year start and end?
It starts on 6 April and ends on 5 April the next year. The current one is 6 April 2026 to 5 April 2027. (GOV.UK)
When does the 2026 to 2027 tax year end?
On 5 April 2027. The online return for it is due by 31 January 2028. (GOV.UK, GOV.UK)
When are payments on account due?
By midnight on 31 January and 31 July, each half of the tax you owed last year. (GOV.UK)
Can I reduce my payments on account?
Yes, if you expect a lower bill: in your HMRC online account, or by post on form SA303. Interest is charged if the bill turns out higher. (GOV.UK)
When should I get my P60?
By 31 May, if you were working for the employer on 5 April. (GOV.UK)
More guides
- Company deadlines calculator
- Late payment interest calculator
- Self Assessment tax return
- Self Assessment dates to 31 January 2027
- Making Tax Digital for Income Tax
- Making Tax Digital: the 7 November update
- P45 and P60
- How to write an invoice
Sources
- Income Tax rates and Personal Allowances (GOV.UK), read 16 Oct 2026
- Self Assessment tax returns: deadlines (GOV.UK), read 16 Oct 2026
- Payments on account (GOV.UK), read 16 Oct 2026
- P60 (GOV.UK), read 16 Oct 2026
- Expenses and benefits: deadlines (GOV.UK), read 16 Oct 2026
- Individual Savings Accounts (GOV.UK), read 16 Oct 2026
Written by Joel Lister, founder of Radar · first published 16 Oct 2026. Radar is made by Neos Technologies Ltd.