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An HMRC Time-to-Pay (TTP) arrangement is the formal route for a United Kingdom taxpayer to spread payment of a tax liability over agreed instalments where settling in full by the due date would cause genuine difficulty. Use our free UK template to request a TTP under HMRC's care and management discretion — covering the Self-Service £30,000 Self Assessment threshold (set up online via gov.uk), the long-form TTP+ route for amounts above £30,000 or non-SA tax (Income & Expenditure + Statement of Affairs), the late payment penalty suspension under FA 2009 Schedule 56 and the Direct Debit collection mandate.
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A Time-to-Pay arrangement is a formal agreement between HMRC and a taxpayer to settle an outstanding tax liability by instalments rather than in a single payment by the statutory due date. HMRC exercises its care and management discretion under section 1 of the Taxes Management Act 1970 (recognised in Inland Revenue Commissioners v National Federation of Self-Employed and Small Businesses Ltd [1982] AC 617 — Fleet Street Casuals) to agree the arrangement based on the taxpayer's affordability and circumstances.
Two routes apply across the United Kingdom. The Self-Service Time-to-Pay route is available for Self Assessment liabilities of £30,000 or less, set up online through the taxpayer's personal tax account at gov.uk. Six eligibility limbs must all be met — SA liability; amount within £30,000; relevant return filed; within 60 days of the deadline; no other TTP active; settlement within 12 months. The Self-Service route avoids HMRC officer intervention and produces immediate confirmation. For amounts above £30,000, for VAT / Corporation Tax / PAYE liabilities of any size, and for complex cases, the long-form TTP+ route applies — negotiated by phone (0300 200 3835 for SA / Business Payment Support; 0300 200 3700 for VAT; 0300 200 3401 for PAYE) or in writing, with an Income and Expenditure form and a Statement of Affairs.
An agreed TTP arrangement suspends the late payment penalty regime under Finance Act 2009 Schedule 56 — the 5% surcharges at 30 days, 6 months and 12 months are not charged for as long as the arrangement is honoured. Late payment interest under FA 2009 section 101 continues to accrue at the Bank of England base rate plus 4 percentage points (approximately 7.5% per annum in 2026). HMRC's preferred collection method is Direct Debit — the mandate is set up under the Direct Debit Guarantee scheme and ensures real-time reconciliation against the tax account.
Our United Kingdom HMRC Time-to-Pay request template builds a structured letter HMRC can act on quickly — taxpayer identification, the outstanding liability, the proposed monthly plan, the reason for the payment difficulty, the Self-Service £30,000 eligibility confirmation, the long-form TTP+ Income & Expenditure and Statement of Affairs, the penalty suspension and interest accrual position, and the Direct Debit mandate.
Adjusts the statutory framing and the HMRC correspondence address based on the tax type — Self Assessment (BX9 1AS), VAT (BX9 1WR), Corporation Tax (BX9 1AX) or PAYE (BX9 1BX). Each tax type has its own payment support helpline.
Detects whether the liability falls within the Self-Service £30,000 Self Assessment threshold and adjusts the framing accordingly. SA ≤£30,000 within 60 days of deadline routes to the online Self-Service journey; everything else routes to the long-form TTP+ negotiation.
Business downturn, serious illness, unforeseen event, specific cash flow timing issue, or other documented difficulty. The chosen reason drives the narrative framing and the evidence HMRC will expect.
Confirms each of the six Self-Service eligibility limbs against the documented position — SA liability; amount within £30,000; return filed (date); within 60 days of the deadline; no other TTP active; settlement within 12 months. Includes the online / phone / written route choice.
Monthly net income, essential monthly expenditure (housing, utilities, food, transport for work, childcare, statutory deductions), non-essential monthly expenditure (entertainment, subscriptions, discretionary) and the affordable monthly instalment. The proportionality assessment HMRC officers apply.
Assets summary (home with equity estimate, vehicle, bank accounts, investments, pension, business equipment, debtors) and liabilities summary (mortgage / rent, credit cards, loans, business loans, other tax, supplier creditors). Lets HMRC assess the wider financial position.
Confirms the suspension of the 5% late payment surcharges at 30 days, 6 months and 12 months for as long as the arrangement is honoured. Sets out the cancellation triggers (two consecutive missed payments, late future filings, new unaddressed liability, false I&E information).
Interest under FA 2009 s.101 accrues at the Bank of England base rate plus 4 percentage points (approximately 7.5% per annum in 2026) on the daily outstanding balance throughout the arrangement period — calculated daily and paid down via the instalment schedule.
Direct Debit is HMRC's preferred collection method. The template sets up the mandate under the Direct Debit Guarantee scheme with bank name, account holder, sort code and the last 4 digits of the account number — sufficient for HMRC to set up the collection without exposing the full account number in correspondence.
HMRC will cancel the arrangement after two consecutive missed Direct Debit payments, late filing of any future return, new unaddressed tax liability, or false I&E information. Cancellation reinstates the full penalty position and HMRC may pursue immediate recovery by distress or court action.
Individual or sole trader signs directly. Company TTP requests are signed by a director on behalf of the company; partnership TTP requests are signed by the nominated partner on behalf of the partnership.
Follow these steps to produce a well-structured HMRC Time-to-Pay request in a format HMRC officers can act on quickly across the United Kingdom.
Self Assessment (BX9 1AS), VAT (BX9 1WR), Corporation Tax (BX9 1AX), PAYE (BX9 1BX). The template adjusts the address and the statutory framing based on the tax type. Each has its own payment support helpline.
Set out the total amount outstanding (and the numeric amount without the £ for threshold logic), the tax year or accounting period, the proposed monthly instalment and the proposed duration in months. Self-Service is normally capped at 12 months; TTP+ can extend to 24 months or beyond in genuine hardship cases.
Be specific. HMRC officers expect verifiable detail — business downturn, serious illness, unforeseen event (supplier failure, bad debt, regulatory change), specific cash flow timing issue. Generic hardship language is treated less seriously than documented circumstance narratives.
For Self Assessment liabilities of £30,000 or less, confirm each of the six Self-Service eligibility limbs against the documented position. Where all six are met, set up the arrangement online through the personal tax account at gov.uk — immediate confirmation, no HMRC officer intervention required.
Monthly net income; essential monthly expenditure (housing, utilities, food, transport for work, childcare, statutory deductions); non-essential monthly expenditure (entertainment, subscriptions, discretionary). The affordable monthly instalment is the surplus, with some allowance for reasonable non-essential expenditure.
Assets summary — home (with equity estimate), vehicle, bank accounts (balances), investments, pension, business equipment, debtors. Liabilities summary — mortgage / rent, credit cards, personal loans, business loans, other tax (HMRC), supplier creditors. State which assets are realisable and the realisation timeline.
Direct Debit is HMRC's preferred collection method. The template records the bank name, account holder, sort code and last 4 digits of the account number — sufficient for HMRC to set up the collection without exposing the full account number. The first DD is collected on the first day of the month after HMRC confirms the arrangement.
Post to the correct BX9 PO Box for the tax type, or set up online for Self-Service SA arrangements. Quote your UTR (or VAT number / PAYE reference) on every line of correspondence. Keep proof of postage. HMRC aim to confirm the arrangement within 14 days for routine cases.
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Time-to-Pay arrangements operate across the United Kingdom under HMRC's care and management discretion. The framework applies the same in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
This template is for general information and does not constitute legal or tax advice. TaxAid, Tax Help for Older People and Citizens Advice offer free guidance for individuals; the Chartered Institute of Taxation (CIOT), ICAEW and ACCA regulate practitioners advising on complex business TTP cases. HMRC officers have the final discretion on whether to agree an arrangement and on what terms.
Reviewed for the United Kingdom
HMRC's care and management discretion under section 1 of the Taxes Management Act 1970 is the statutory basis for agreeing a Time-to-Pay arrangement. The discretion was recognised in Inland Revenue Commissioners v National Federation of Self-Employed and Small Businesses Ltd [1982] AC 617 (Fleet Street Casuals). HMRC published TTP guidance at gov.uk/difficulties-paying-hmrc sets out the framework officers apply to exercise the discretion in practice.
For Self Assessment liabilities of £30,000 or less, the Self-Service Time-to-Pay route is available online through the taxpayer's personal tax account at gov.uk. Six eligibility limbs must all be met — SA liability; amount within £30,000; relevant return filed; within 60 days of the deadline; no other TTP active; settlement within 12 months. The Self-Service route avoids HMRC officer intervention and produces immediate confirmation. The threshold has been in place since the post-Covid expansion of HMRC self-service and remains the standard route for routine cases.
For Self Assessment liabilities above £30,000, for VAT / Corporation Tax / PAYE liabilities of any size, and for complex cases, the long-form TTP+ arrangement applies. The arrangement is negotiated by phone (0300 200 3835 for SA / Business Payment Support; 0300 200 3700 for VAT; 0300 200 3401 for PAYE) or in writing. HMRC officers require an Income and Expenditure form and a Statement of Affairs and apply a proportionality assessment — the affordable monthly instalment is the surplus of net income over essential expenditure with some allowance for reasonable non-essential expenditure.
An agreed Time-to-Pay arrangement suspends the late payment penalty regime under Finance Act 2009 Schedule 56. The 5% surcharges at 30 days, 6 months and 12 months are not charged for as long as the arrangement is honoured. If the taxpayer defaults on the arrangement, HMRC reinstates the penalty position as at the original due date and a defaulted arrangement is treated as a non-arrangement for penalty purposes.
Late payment interest under section 101 of the Finance Act 2009 continues to accrue on the outstanding balance throughout the arrangement period. HMRC charges interest at the Bank of England base rate plus 4 percentage points — approximately 7.5 per cent per annum in 2026. Interest is calculated on the daily outstanding balance and is added to the running liability rather than capitalised; the taxpayer pays it down as part of the agreed instalment schedule.
Direct Debit is HMRC's preferred collection method for TTP arrangements. The mandate is set up under the Direct Debit Guarantee scheme — automatic collection on the agreed monthly date, real-time reconciliation against the tax account and automatic notification if a collection fails. The first DD is collected on the first day of the month after HMRC confirms the arrangement.
HMRC will cancel the arrangement if the taxpayer misses two consecutive monthly Direct Debit payments, fails to file any future tax return on time, incurs a new tax liability that is not promptly addressed, or provides false or misleading information in the original I&E and Statement of Affairs. Cancellation reinstates the full penalty position and HMRC may pursue immediate recovery by distress or court action.
Produce a clear, statute-cited Time-to-Pay request HMRC can act on quickly. The template detects whether your liability falls within the Self-Service £30,000 Self Assessment threshold, structures the long-form TTP+ Income & Expenditure and Statement of Affairs where required, confirms the late payment penalty suspension under FA 2009 Schedule 56, sets out the interest accrual position at base rate plus 4 percentage points, and sets up the Direct Debit collection mandate. Sent to the right BX9 PO Box for the tax type — SA / VAT / CT / PAYE — with the relevant payment support helpline signposted.
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