HMRC changes its rules for tax payments by business debit card

A new piece of legislation – the catchily named The Fees for Payment of Taxes, etc. by Card Regulations 2020 – was placed before the House of Commons on Tuesday and will become law on 1st November.

I don’t think it has an impact on any method of earning miles and points for paying HMRC.

To summarise the impact of the new rules:

The Regulations, with effect from 1st November 2020, revoke and replace the Fees for Payment of Taxes, etc. by Credit Card Regulations 2016 (S.I. 2016/333) and the Fees for Payment of Taxes, etc. by Credit Card (Amendment) Regulations 2017 (S.I. 2017/1262).

Regulation 2 provides that a fee is payable whenever a business credit or debit card is used to make a payment to Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (“HMRC”). Under the revoked legislation, a fee was only payable to HMRC in relation to payments with specified business credit cards and was not payable in relation to payments by any debit cards. The Regulations accordingly increase the range of cards in respect of which a fee is payable. The fee is determined by the formula in Regulation 3 and is equal to the sum of the three fees ultimately incurred by HMRC when receiving payment by card.

This means that payments to HMRC using a BUSINESS debit card will, from 1st November, incur a fee.  Currently, business debit card payments are free, as are payments by personal debit cards.

Off the top of my head, cards used by HFP readers to generate miles from HMRC are not business debit cards.  If anyone thinks otherwise, please let us know.

Want to earn more points from credit cards? – December 2021 update

If you are looking to apply for a new credit or charge card, here are our November 2021 recommendations based on the current sign-up bonus. 

You can see our full directory of all UK cards which earn airline or hotel points here. Here are the top current deals:

British Airways American Express

5,000 Avios for signing up, no annual fee and an Economy 2-4-1 voucher for spending ….. Read our full review

British Airways American Express Premium Plus

25,000 Avios and the UK’s most valuable credit card perk – the 2-4-1 companion voucher Read our full review

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold

Your best beginner’s card – 20,000 points, FREE for a year & two airport lounge passes Read our full review

The Platinum Card from American Express

30,000 points and an unbeatable set of travel benefits – for a fee Read our full review

Earning miles and points from small business cards

If you are a sole trader or run a small company, you may also want to check out these offers.

American Express Business Gold

20,000 points sign-up bonus and free for a year Read our full review

American Express Business Platinum

40,000 points sign-up bonus and a long list of travel benefits Read our full review

British Airways Accelerating Business American Express

30,000 Avios sign-up bonus – plus annual bonuses of up to 30,000 Avios Read our full review

Capital On Tap Business Rewards Visa

The most generous Avios Visa or Mastercard for a limited company Read our full review

For a non-American Express option, we also recommend the Barclaycard Select Cashback card for sole traders and small businesses. It is FREE and you receive 1% cashback on your spending:

Barclaycard Select Cashback Credit Card

1% cashback and no annual fee Read our full review