REFERENCE
Reference library. The detail behind the decision.
Hard reference content. Current rates, regime mechanics, lender appetite. Updated as HMRC, the Bank of England, or our lender panel changes its mind.
INTEREST RATES
Current HMRC and BoE rates
Live HMRC late-payment and repayment rates, the Bank of England base rate, and what that means in pounds for an unpaid VAT, PAYE or CT bill.
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PENALTY REGIME
How VAT penalties actually work
The points-based late-filing system, the percentage late-payment penalties, and the day-15 / day-30 / daily annualised structure that replaced default surcharges.
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MTD TIMELINE
Making Tax Digital, by year
When MTD lands for VAT, ITSA Phase 1 (>£50k), Phase 2 (>£30k), Phase 3 (>£20k), and what each cohort needs to do six and twelve months out.
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LENDER CRITERIA
What lenders actually want
The unwritten underwriting checklist. Trading history, accounts age, sector views, PG appetite. And how it differs across the high-street banks, challengers, and specialist tax-bill lenders.
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Source policy
Where the numbers come from.
Rates and thresholds on these pages are taken directly from current HMRC guidance and Bank of England Monetary Policy announcements. Lender criteria are summarised from working underwriting briefs across our panel; individual lender names are kept off the page because credit policy moves faster than this site does. Where we describe what is "typical", that is our working judgement based on deals placed in the last twelve months.