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Director's Loan Calculator

Calculate S455 tax on overdrawn director's loans, Benefit in Kind at the 3.75% HMRC official rate, plan repayments to beat the 9-month deadline, and work out interest tax when lending to your company. All rates for 2025/26 tax year.

£
Total amount borrowed from the company
%
0% if interest-free. Enter the actual rate you pay to the company.
Your marginal income tax rate
No
If the loan never reaches £10,000 in the tax year, no BIK arises
No
Repaid and re-borrowed within 30 days (HMRC anti-avoidance)

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How to Use This Calculator

Loan from Company tab

Enter the loan amount, the interest rate you pay (0% if interest-free), your company year-end date, and your tax band. The calculator shows your S455 tax liability (33.75% of the outstanding balance if not repaid within 9 months after year-end), the Benefit in Kind taxable amount, your BIK income tax, the employer's Class 1A NI, and the total annual cost. It also compares your position if you paid interest at the HMRC official rate (3.75%).

Repayment Planning tab

Enter your outstanding loan balance, planned monthly repayment, and company year-end. The calculator shows the 9-month S455 deadline, how many months you have, your projected balance at the deadline, and the S455 tax if not fully repaid. It generates a month-by-month repayment schedule and tells you the exact monthly repayment needed to clear the loan before the deadline.

Loan to Company tab

Enter the amount lent, interest rate, and your total income. The calculator shows your annual interest income, how much falls within your Personal Savings Allowance (£1,000 basic, £500 higher, £0 additional rate), the tax on interest, and your net interest received. It also shows the corporation tax relief the company gets on the interest paid.

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The Formulas

S455 Tax

S455 Tax = Outstanding Loan Balance × 33.75%

Due: 9 months + 1 day after accounting period end
Refundable: 9 months + 1 day after the accounting period in which the loan is repaid

Benefit in Kind (BIK)

BIK = Loan Balance × (HMRC Official Rate − Actual Interest Rate Paid)

Your Tax = BIK × Your Marginal Income Tax Rate
Employer NI = BIK × 15% (Class 1A)

No BIK if loan stays below £10,000 at all times in the tax year
HMRC Official Rate for 2025/26 = 3.75%

Repayment Deadline

S455 Deadline = Company Year-End + 9 months + 1 day

Example: Year-end 31 March 2026 → Deadline 1 January 2027
Monthly Repayment Needed = Loan Balance ÷ Months Until Deadline

Interest on Loan to Company

Annual Interest = Amount Lent × Interest Rate
Taxable Interest = Annual Interest − Personal Savings Allowance
Tax = Taxable Interest × Marginal Tax Rate

PSA: £1,000 (basic rate) | £500 (higher rate) | £0 (additional rate)

Example

Sarah — Higher-rate taxpayer, £30,000 interest-free loan from her company

Sarah runs a limited company with a 31 March year-end. She has an interest-free director's loan of £30,000. She's a higher-rate taxpayer (40%).

S455 tax exposure

Loan amount£30,000
S455 rate33.75%
S455 tax due if not repaid£10,125
Deadline1 January 2027

Annual BIK cost

BIK (3.75% of £30,000)£1,125
Sarah's income tax (40%)£450
Employer Class 1A NI (15%)£168.75
Total annual cost£618.75

Repayment plan

Monthly repayment at £3,500Repaid in 9 months
S455 tax avoided£10,125

If Sarah paid interest at 3.75%

Annual interest to company£1,125
BIK eliminated£0
Annual saving vs interest-free£618.75 in tax, but pays £1,125 interest

Sarah decides to repay £3,500/month to clear the loan before the S455 deadline, avoiding £10,125 in temporary tax. She accepts the £618.75 annual BIK cost while the loan is outstanding.

FAQ

A director's loan account tracks money that passes between you and your company that is not salary, dividends, or expenses. If the company owes you money, the DLA is in credit. If you owe the company money (you have withdrawn more than you have put in), the DLA is overdrawn. An overdrawn DLA triggers S455 tax if not repaid within 9 months of the accounting period end, and a Benefit in Kind charge if the loan is interest-free or below the HMRC official rate.
Section 455 (CTA 2010) is a tax charge your company pays to HMRC at 33.75% on any outstanding director's loan balance 9 months and 1 day after the end of the accounting period. For example, if your year-end is 31 March 2026, S455 is due by 1 January 2027. This tax is refundable: once the loan is repaid, the company can reclaim it 9 months and 1 day after the end of the accounting period in which the loan is cleared. S455 is designed to prevent directors from extracting funds without paying income tax.
If you have an interest-free or low-interest loan from your company, HMRC treats the difference between the official rate (3.75% for 2025/26) and what you actually pay as a taxable benefit. You pay income tax on this BIK at your marginal rate, and the company pays 15% Class 1A NI. However, if the loan stays below £10,000 at all times during the tax year, no BIK arises. You can eliminate BIK by paying interest to the company at the HMRC official rate.
The bed and breakfasting rule (CTA 2010 s464A) is an anti-avoidance provision. If you repay a director's loan and then borrow again within 30 days, HMRC can treat the repayment as if it never happened. This means the S455 charge continues to apply. The rule prevents directors from temporarily clearing loans around year-end to avoid the S455 charge and then re-borrowing immediately after. To safely avoid S455, any repayment must be genuine and permanent — do not re-borrow within 30 days.
Interest received from your company is taxed as savings income. You may benefit from the Personal Savings Allowance (PSA): £1,000 tax-free for basic rate taxpayers, £500 for higher rate, and £0 for additional rate. Interest above the PSA is taxed at your marginal rate (20%, 40%, or 45%). The company can deduct the interest paid as a business expense, saving corporation tax at 25%. The interest rate should be commercial — HMRC may challenge rates significantly above market rates.

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