Guidance

Pay the Soft Drinks Industry Levy (notice 5)

How to pay the Soft Drinks Industry Levy, Soft Drinks Industry Levy penalty, or claim a levy credit.

When to pay

You must submit your return and pay any levy due within 30 days of the end of each reporting period.

This is set out by Regulations 20(3) and 22 of the Soft Drinks Industry Levy Regulations 2018 which have force of  of law.

You’ll find out how much you have to pay when you submit your return.

When to pay

You must submit your return and pay any levy due within 30 days of the end of each reporting period.

The time you need to allow depends on how you pay.

Payment methodTime to allow
Direct Debit3 working days
Approve a payment through your online bank accountSame or next day
Faster Payments (online or telephone banking)Same or next day
CHAPSSame or next day
Bacs3 working days
Debit or corporate credit cardSame or next day

If the deadline is on a weekend or bank holiday, make sure your payment reaches HMRC by the end of the previous working day.

If you do not pay by the deadline you may beneed charged:to pay:

  • the

    a Soft Drinks Industry Levy penalty

  • late payment interest on the outstanding amount (from the date the levy became due until it is paid)

  • both the Soft Drinks Industry Levy penalty and late payment interest

What you need

YouAfter needyou yourregistered 15for characterthe levy, HMRC will have sent you a 15-character payment reference numbernumber, starting with an X. You’ll need this to make any payments.

YouIf you registered online, you can find thisit on either:in:

  • your HMRC online account — you’ll need the Government Gateway user ID and password you used when you registered

  • the confirmation email you received after you registered

If you did not register online, you can find it on your registration certificate.

If you use an incorrect reference number: number:

  • there will be a delay in the payment being allocated correctly correctly
  • you will receive a payment reminder reminder

If you need to pay a Soft Drinks Industry Levy penalty

You’ll need to give your 14-character charge reference number, starting with an X, to make a payment. This will be different to the one you use to pay your Soft Drinks Industry Levy.

You can find it on the letter we sent you about your penalty.

PayingPay online through your bank account

You can pay by approving a payment through your online bank account by selecting the ‘pay by bank account’ option.

You will be directed to sign in to your online or mobile banking account to approve your payment.

You’llThe needpayment tois haveusually yourinstant onlinebut bankingsometimes detailsit readytakes up to pay2 thishours way.to show in your account.

You can select a date to pay, as long as it’s before your payment is due.

TheAlternatively, you can make a full payment online using a card. There is usuallya instantnon-refundable butfee canif sometimesyou takeuse upa tocorporate 2credit hoursor todebit showcard. inYou yourcannot account.pay by personal credit card.

OnYour yourpayment scheduledwill paymentbe date,accepted checkon the paymentdate hasyou leftmake yourit bankand account.

Payingnot onlinethe bydate Directit Debit

Setreaches upHMRC’s aaccount Direct(including Debitweekends throughand yourbank HMRC online account.holidays).

You’llYou needmust make sure the Governmentdetails Gatewayyou userenter IDmatch andthose passwordheld youby usedyour whenbank youor registeredcard forprovider. theFor account.

Youexample, canthe alsobilling useaddress itshould to:

The

Pay by Direct Debit

Allow will10 notworking collectdays returnfor paymentsHMRC overto £20set million.up Ifa youDirect oweDebit. more,If youit will not be set up in time, you’ll need to payuse another way.payment method.

Paying

You will need your billbank automatically

details.

HMRCAsk willyour automaticallybank to collect the payment fromat least 3 working days before your bankreturn accountand basedpayment ondue thedate, amountor init yourwill return.not You’llbe onlycollected. needThe todue setdate is 30 days after the Directend Debitof upyour once. reporting period.

Set it up ata leastDirect 4Debit workingonline

Use daysyour beforeHMRC youronline paymentaccount dueto date. 

Theset paymentsup willa showDirect onDebit. yourYou’ll bankneed statementthe asGovernment ‘HMRCGateway SDDS’. user ID and password you used when you registered.

Once you’ve set up the Direct Debit

Payments will be automatically collected from your bank account. This is usually 4 days after your return and payment due date. We will send you a message with the exact date and amount,amount after you file your return. file.

If you file your levy return late, your payment will usually be taken 4 days after you file the return. The Direct Debit cannotwill not collect any interest or penalty charges you owe. owe.

Paying by debit or corporate credit card

YouThe canDirect makeDebit a full payment online using a debit or corporate credit card. There is a non-refundable fee if you use a corporate credit or debit card. You cannot pay by personal credit card.

Your payment will be accepted on the date you make it and not thecollect datereturn itpayments reachesover HMRC’s£20 accountmillion. (includingIf weekendsyou andowe bankmore holidays).  

Youthan mustthis make sure the details you enterwill matchneed thoseto held by your bank or card provider. For example, the billing address should match the one your card is currently registered with. 

Pay online

You can pay onlineanother using one of the following methods:way.

  • approve a payment through your online bank account
  • Direct Debit
  • debit or corporate credit card

Pay now

Pay by bank transfer

If you pay by CHAPS (Clearing House Automated Payment System) or Faster Payments, you can submit your payment on the same or next day. day.

If you pay by Bacs (Bankers Automated Clearing System), allow 3 working days for the payment to reach HMRC. HMRC.

We recommend you check yourthe bank’s processing times and maximum transaction limitslimit beforeset youby pay.your bank.

Account details to use if your account is in the UK

Use the following details to make a payment if your account is in the UK:

  • sort code — 20 05 17
  • account number — 40204374
  • account name  —  name HMRC General BT Receipts

Account details to use if your account is overseas

Use the following details to make payment if your account is overseas.

  • account number (IBAN) — GB86BARC20051740204374
  • bank identifier code (BIC)  (BIC) — BARCGB22
  • account name  —  name HMRC General BT Receipts

You must make all payments in sterling (GBP). Your bank may charge you if use any other currency.

If needed, you can provide your bank with the following HMRC banking address:

Barclays Bank PLC
1 Churchill Place
London
United Kingdom
E14 5HP

Claim a levy credit

If you’re claiming a levy credit, and the amount is more than what you owe in a reporting period, it may result in a net credit. You will not automatically get a repayment for this credit. It will be carried over to the next reporting period and will reduce the amount you’ll need to pay for that period.

If you believe you will not have to report and pay for any more drinks in the future, contact HMRC to cancel your registration for the levy and claim any net credit due.

Published 1 July 2018
Last updated 2131 FebruaryJanuary 2024 + show all updates
  1. Pay by one off Direct Debit information has been removed. Links to set up a Direct Debit have been added.

  2. Guidance has been added about when you can select a date to pay when you pay online.

  3. Information added on the details you need to pay a Soft Drinks Industry Levy penalty. You can no longer set up a Direct Debit by print and post so this has been removed.

  4. Added translation

  5. The account name for online or telephone banking, CHAPS or Bacs and overseas payments has been updated.

  6. Information about how to approve a payment through your online bank account has been added.

  7. Information about a non-refundable fee for corporate debit cards being introduced from 1 November 2020 has been added.

  8. Direct Debit has been added as payment method for the Soft Drinks Industry Levy.

  9. Welsh translation has been added.

  10. Information about how much time to allow for your payment to reach HMRC has been added.

  11. The Bank Identifier Code (BIC) for overseas payments has been updated.

  12. Pay the levy section updated with information about what happens if you pay late.

  13. First published.