The short answer
Quarterly updates are cumulative summaries, not payments. Tax shows every personal self-employment and property business together, even when you select a company elsewhere.
1. Read your status
Open Tax. HMRC obligations take priority over your setup answer. Unknown sign-up status shows Check on GOV.UK and Connect HMRC, with no invented quarterly deadlines.
Open Tax2. Check every business
Each quarterly row shows HMRC’s own dates and status. Sent includes the reference. An accepted send stays Awaiting HMRC confirmation until HMRC marks it met. What HMRC has on file opens its read-back. View or change update periods opens the existing business setting. Check that choice before sending your first update.
Send an update3. Keep payments separate
The usual dates are 31 January for the balancing payment and any first payment on account, and 31 July for any second payment on account. The Payments card explains which tax year each date concerns. Check HMRC for the actual amount and any different deadline.
Read payment rules4. Open year-end steps
Choose Open year-end steps. More holds allowances, adjustments, other income, losses, history, update-period settings and opt-out guidance.
Your tax returnBefore you move on
- Check the business and HMRC dates
- Keep updates separate from payments
- Use the estimate disclaimer and check HMRC for any amount due
Check the official rules
Tax rules can change and individual circumstances matter. Use HMRC’s current guidance to confirm the treatment that applies to you.
Put the guide into practice.
Open the relevant workspace and complete the next step with this guide available in another tab.
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