How to pay Gaming Duty
This guide offers a reminder of Gaming Duty payment deadlines and explains all of the available payment options.
HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) recommends that you make all of your Gaming Duty payments electronically. Paying electronically:
- is safe and secure
- gives you better control over your money
- provides certainty when your payment will reach HMRC
- may lower your bank charges
- avoids postal delays
On this page:
- Gaming Duty payment deadlines
- Paying by Internet, telephone banking or BACS Direct Credit
- Paying by CHAPS transfer
- Paying by post
- Paying with euros
- No payment due
- Correspondence or receipt requests
- Information about the Faster Payment service
- More useful links
Gaming Duty payment deadlines
You are responsible for calculating how much Gaming Duty is owed and for paying this duty on time. You will need to make two returns and payments in each six month accounting period as detailed.
- After the first three months of an accounting period you will need to complete form GD94 ‘Gaming Duty payment on account’ and pay on account the gaming duty likely to be due at the end of the first six month period.
- At the end of the six month accounting period you will need to calculate the Gaming Duty due for the whole period using form GD95 ‘Gaming Duty Return’.
- You must then deduct the amount of payment made on account (under Point 1) from the total amount due for the six month accounting period and pay the balance.
You will need to make sure that your returns and payments for accounting periods ending 30 September and 31 March are received by HMRC by:
| Accounting period | GD94 – payment on account period | GD94 Payment due |
GD95 Payment due |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 April to 30 September | 1 April to 30 June | 31 July | 31 October |
| 1 October to 31 March | 1 October to 31 December | 31 January | 30 April |
Accounting period returns and payments ending on any other date must reach HMRC within one calendar month of the end of the three month or six month accounting period. For example:
| Accounting period | GD94 – payment on account period | GD94 Payment due |
GD95 Payment due |
|---|---|---|---|
| 16 December to 15 June | 16 December to 15 March | 15 April | 15 July |
Get form GD94 Gaming Duty payment on account
Get form GD95 Gaming Duty Return
Read more about civil penalties
Paying Gaming Duty by Internet, telephone banking or BACS Direct Credit
You can use your bank or building society services to pay by Internet, telephone banking or by BACS Direct Credit (available to businesses which are authorised by their bank to submit files direct to BACS).
If you pay using any of these methods, your bank will transfer your money electronically.
To make a payment you will need the account details given below and your Gaming Duty reference number.
It normally takes three bank working days for payment to reach HMRC. Bank working days are Monday to Friday excluding bank holidays. Some bank and building societies can take longer. You should check with your bank or building society to see how long they take to transfer payment and what their cut-off time is for initiating payment. If they take longer you will need to initiate your payment earlier.
If your cleared payment arrives late interest will be charged.
Contacting HMRC to request a BACS Direct Credit payment
To pay your Gaming Duty by BACS Direct Credit you will need to write to the Greenock Accounts Centre to make a request. They will then send you the details in the post.
HM Revenue & Customs
Greenock Accounting Centre
Customs House
Custom House Quay
Greenock
PA15 1EQ
Tel: 01475 881434 or 01475 881435 (open between 8.30 am and 5.00 pm, Monday to Friday excluding bank holidays).
Paying Gaming Duty by CHAPS transfer
The CHAPS system enables you to tell your bank to make an immediate payment that will reach HMRC on the same day provided you initiate payment within the time specified by your bank (usually between 9.00 am and 3.00 pm). Bank working days are Monday to Friday excluding bank holidays.
CHAPS payments are more expensive than other payment methods but may be of benefit if you are making very large payments.
Contacting HMRC to request a CHAPS payment
To pay your Gaming Duty by CHAPS you will need to write to the Greenock Accounts Centre to make a request. They will then send you the details in the post.
HM Revenue & Customs
Greenock Accounting Centre
Customs House
Custom House Quay
Greenock
PA15 1EQ
Tel: 01475 881434 or 01475 881435 (open between 8.30 am and 5.00 pm, Monday to Friday excluding bank holidays).
Paying Gaming Duty by post
HMRC recommends that you make your Gaming Duty payments electronically using one of the methods described elsewhere in this guide. Electronic payments are generally more efficient and secure, provided you give HMRC an accurate reference number.
However if paying by post please:
- make your cheque payable to ‘HM Revenue & Customs only’ followed by your Gaming Duty reference number and send it with your return using the pre-addressed envelope sent by HMRC or to the address below
- do not fold the return or cheque and do not fasten them with paper clips or staples or in any other manner
If you are sending a payment to HMRC and do not have a pre-addressed HMRC envelope please send your payment to:
HM Revenue & Customs
Greenock Accounting Centre
Customs House
Custom House Quay
Greenock
PA15 1EQ
To allow for possible postal delays (for which HMRC is not responsible) please allow at least three working days for the payment to reach them.
Paying Gaming Duty with euros
You can pay your Gaming Duty in euros using the BACS Direct Credit or CHAPS payment methods, including any arrears. Repayments of tax due to you from HMRC will continue to be made in sterling.
Exchange rate to be used for payments
The payment figure, shown in sterling on your Gaming Duty return will
need to be converted into euros. HMRC recommends that you use the UK
market selling rate for the day that you are making the payment. You
can get this information from the Financial Times or by calling the
HMRC Euro Helpline on Tel 01702 366349
The risk associated with the exchange rate fluctuations will be your
responsibility as the decision is yours as to whether you pay in euros
or sterling. HMRC will continue to maintain its accounts in sterling
and you will be credited with the actual sterling value HMRC receives
after conversion by their bankers. The cost incurred by HMRC in converting
euro payment into sterling will be met by HMRC.
You will need to fax the following information to the HMRC Euro Helpline on Fax 01702 366378 to enable them to update your account:
- description of tax being paid Gaming Duty
- your Gaming Duty reference number
- the period the payment relates to
- the sterling liability of the payment
Contacting HMRC to request a euro payment
To pay your Gaming Duty by CHAPS you will need to write to the Greenock Accounts Centre to make a request. They will then send you the details in the post.
HM Revenue & Customs
Greenock Accounting Centre
Customs House
Custom House Quay
Greenock
PA15 1EQ
Tel: 01475 881434 or 01475 881435 (open between 8.30 am and 5.00 pm, Monday to Friday excluding bank holidays).
Your Gaming Duty reference number
When making a Gaming Duty payment you will need your reference number. This is shown on your Gaming Duty return.
It is important that you show the reference number with no gaps between the characters otherwise it could lead to delays in updating your records.
No Gaming Duty payment due
You must let HMRC know if you have no Gaming Duty payment due by completing your return showing a ‘nil’ payment due.
HM Revenue & Customs
Greenock Accounting Centre
Customs House
Custom House Quay
Greenock
PA15 1EQ
Tel: 01475 881434 or 01475 881435 (open between 8.30 am and 5.00 pm, Monday to Friday excluding bank holidays).
Gaming Duty correspondence or receipt requests
In order to minimise costs to all taxpayers HMRC does not automatically issue receipts for payments. If you have made your payment electronically using one of the methods described elsewhere in this guide you can confirm from your own bank or building society statement that payment has cleared your account.
However, if you are paying HMRC by post and you need to ask for a receipt, include a separate letter with your payment. HMRC cannot identify any instructions written on payslips as they are processed automatically.
If you wish to tell HMRC about a change (for example a new address) you will need to include a separate letter with your payment if paying by post or write to them separately if you have made your payment electronically.
Postal address for correspondence
HM Revenue & Customs
Greenock Accounting Centre
Customs House
Custom House Quay
Greenock
PA15 1EQ
Tel: 01475 881434 or 01475 881345 (open between 8.30 am and 5.00 pm, Monday to Friday excluding bank holidays).
Information about the Faster Payment service
HMRC is currently unable to receive or make payments using the Faster Payment service, which is offered by some banks.
For a bank’s customer to make a Faster Payment, both banks involved in the transaction need to be members of the Faster Payment Scheme. The Bank of England, which is currently HMRC’s banking supplier, made a decision some time ago to withdraw from the provision of retail banking services to its customers (one of which is HMRC) and has not joined the Faster Payment service.
HMRC is in the process of moving its business to a new banking supplier. Following this migration the opportunity for using the Faster Payments service will be reviewed.
More useful links
Find out more about Gaming Duty
