Following a Bank Rate cut to 4.25%, HMRC late payment and repayment interest rates will drop from 19 and 28 May 2025. Check which taxes this affects.
The Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) met on 8 May and, in a narrow 5–4 vote, decided to reduce the interest rate by 25 basis points, bringing it down to 4.25%. Of the four dissenting members, two supported a larger cut to 4%, while the other two preferred to keep the rate at 4.5%. This marks the fourth interest rate reduction since August 2024.
This means that the late payment interest rate applied to the main taxes and duties on which HMRC charges interest will decrease from 8.5% to 8.25%. This change takes effect on 19 May 2025 for quarterly instalment payments, and on 28 May 2025 for non-quarterly instalment payments.
Additionally, the repayment interest rate HMRC pays on main taxes and duties will also drop by 0.25%, from 3.5% to 3.25%, from 28 May 2025. The repayment rate is calculated as the Bank Rate minus 1%, subject to a minimum of 0.5%.
