From 6 April 2026, the basic and upper dividend tax rates each rose by 2 percentage points. For the 2026/27 tax year, UK dividend tax rates remain an important consideration for tax planning. The rates are 10.75% for basic rate taxpayers, 35.75% for higher rate taxpayers, and 39.35% for additional rate taxpayers, after taking into account the dividend allowance.
This guide provides a quick reference for accountants, including the latest dividend tax rates, allowance details, examples, and practical points to consider when advising clients.
What Changed in the Dividend Tax Rates for 2026/27?
The basic and upper rates went up 2 points. The additional rate and the allowance stayed the same. These changes mean accountants need to review how the latest dividend tax rates for 2026/27 affect clients who extract profits through dividends rather than salary.
The change was confirmed at the Autumn 2025 Budget and started on 6 April 2026. The same rates apply across England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Scottish taxpayers also pay these UK-wide dividend rates, even though their other income follows Scottish bands.
Source: Changes to tax rates for property, savings and dividend income, GOV.UK.
How Much Is the Dividend Allowance for 2026/27?
The dividend allowance is £500 for 2026/27, the same as the two years before it. While the allowance remains unchanged, the increase in dividend tax rates means clients receiving dividends above this threshold may face a higher tax liability.
The allowance is taxed at 0%, but it still uses up £500 of your band. It does not give you extra basic-rate room. A higher-rate client uses their £500 at the higher-rate point, where their income already sits, not back at the basic rate.
How Do You Apply the Dividend Tax Rates?
Dividends are taxed last, after your other income has filled the bands below.
The order is fixed, salary, pension and rental income first, then savings income, then dividends on top. The band a dividend lands in depends on everything below it, not on how big the dividend is.
Method of Calculating Dividend Tax
- Add the dividends to all other income to find the total and the bands in play
- Use the Personal Allowance against other income first, then against dividends if any is left
- Take off the £500 dividend allowance, taxed at 0%
- Apply the relevant dividend tax rate, 10.75%, 35.75% or 39.35% — to the remaining dividends depending on which tax band they fall into
When Must You Report Dividends to HMRC?
It depends on how much the client received in dividends, and on whether they already file a tax return.
A client whose dividends are within the £500 allowance has nothing to report. Once dividends go above the allowance, there is tax to pay and HMRC must be told every year it arises.
Dividend income for the year | Action |
Within the £500 allowance | Nothing to report. |
Up to £10,000 | Tell HMRC. If the client already files Self Assessment, report it on the return. If not, ask HMRC to update the tax code so the tax comes from wages or pension, or contact the HMRC helpline. |
Over £10,000 | Fill in a Self Assessment return. |
A client who already sends a Self Assessment return, for self-employment or any other reason, reports all dividend income on that return. A client who does not usually file and needs to report must tell HMRC by 5 October after the end of the tax year the dividends fell in. For dividends over £10,000, that means registering for Self Assessment by the same 5 October date.
For example, a director who first draws dividends above the allowance in the 2025/26 tax year, which ran from 6 April 2025 to 5 April 2026, must tell HMRC by 5 October 2026, then file and pay by 31 January 2027.
How Do You Pay the Dividend Tax You Owe?
Once the dividend tax rates have been applied and the bill is known, how the client pays depends on whether they file Self Assessment.
Paying Through Your Tax Code
A PAYE client whose whole Self Assessment bill is under £3,000 can have the tax collected through their tax code, taken from salary or pension across the next year. This needs the online return filed by 30 December, not 31 January, and enough PAYE income for HMRC to collect against.
Paying With a Self Assessment Return
Everyone else pays with the return. The options are online or telephone banking, a single Direct Debit, a debit or corporate credit card, or a cheque (the Post Office route has closed). Larger bills also bring payments on account, due 31 January and 31 July, unless last year’s bill was under £1,000 or more than 80% of the tax was already collected at source.
Conclusion
Dividend tax rates remain a key consideration for UK accountants supporting directors and shareholders. With changes to dividend tax rates for 2026/27, accountants need to provide clear guidance on how dividend income interacts with salary, savings and other taxable income.
A practical approach combining accurate calculations, timely advice, and easy-to-share resources helps accountants provide better support while helping clients make informed decisions about profit extraction.
FAQs
For 2026/27, dividends above the £500 allowance are taxed at 10.75% in the basic-rate band, 35.75% in the higher-rate band and 39.35% in the additional-rate band. The basic and upper rates each rose 2 points from 6 April 2026.
Yes. Dividends from UK company shares are taxable income, but the first £500 each year is covered by the dividend allowance and taxed at 0%. Dividends above £500 are taxed at the dividend rates. Dividends held inside an ISA stay tax-free and do not count towards the allowance.
The dividend allowance is £500 for 2026/27, unchanged from 2025/26. The first £500 of dividends each year is taxed at 0%. It is a nil-rate band, not a deduction, so it still uses up £500 of whichever rate band your income sits in. It was £5,000 in 2017/18.
HMRC has no automatic feed of dividends from private companies, so the duty to report sits with you. You declare them on a Self Assessment return, or by asking HMRC to adjust your tax code for smaller amounts. HMRC can cross-check against company filings, bank data and dividend vouchers, so under-reporting carries real risk.
