Dividend tax is the income tax UK individuals pay on dividends received from companies, ranging from 0% within the dividend allowance up to the dividend additional rate for the highest earners. This guide is one of several in our limited company finances cluster covering how money moves between a company and its owners.
How dividends differ from salary
A dividend is a distribution of a company’s post-tax profit to its shareholders, paid in proportion to shareholdings. Unlike a salary, dividends carry no National Insurance, are not a deductible business expense for the company, and can only be paid out of distributable reserves. That last point matters: paying a dividend when no profit is available creates an illegal (ultra vires) dividend that HMRC can recharacterise as a loan or salary. If you are weighing the two routes, our salary versus dividends guide works through the trade-off.
Rates and allowances
The first slice of dividends each year sits within the dividend allowance and is tax-free. Above that, dividends are taxed at three rates that mirror your overall income tax band.
| Where the dividend falls | Treatment |
|---|---|
| Within your unused personal allowance | 0% |
| Within the dividend allowance | 0% |
| Within the basic-rate band | Dividend ordinary rate |
| Within the higher-rate band | Dividend upper rate |
| Above the additional-rate threshold | Dividend additional rate |
HM Treasury sets the allowance, the bands and the three dividend rates at the Budget, and GOV.UK publishes the figures for the current tax year. The rates have changed several times, most recently when the ordinary and upper rates rose by two percentage points from 6 April 2026.
Dividends are taxed after non-savings and savings income, meaning the rate often jumps mid-dividend if your salary already pushes you into the higher band. The dividend allowance does not reduce your taxable income; it simply applies a 0% rate to the dividends within it, so those dividends still count when deciding which band the rest of your dividends fall into.
Reporting and paying
How you report depends on the size of your dividend income.
| Circumstance | Reporting route |
|---|---|
| Dividends within your unused personal allowance and dividend allowance | No dividend tax to report |
| Taxable dividend income with total dividends up to £10,000 | Report on an existing Self Assessment return, or contact HMRC by 5 October after the tax year |
| Total dividends over £10,000 | Self Assessment required |
Self Assessment tax is normally due by 31 January following the tax year. Payments on account can apply depending on the amount due and how much tax was already collected at source. Keep your dividend vouchers — the company must issue one for each distribution, showing the date, the amount and the shareholder — as evidence of each payment. Where you also hold a loan from the company, watch the interaction with the rules in our director’s loan account guide, as overdrawn balances are sometimes cleared by declaring a dividend.
Sheltering dividends from tax
For shareholders who have flexibility over how shares are held, several wrappers reduce or remove dividend tax entirely.
- ISAs — dividends inside a Stocks and Shares ISA are tax-free, up to the annual ISA subscription limit
- Pensions (SIPP) — dividends inside a SIPP are tax-free, and contributions attract tax relief
- Spouse share transfer — gifts to a spouse use both dividend allowances and lower bands
- Reduce salary, increase dividend — see our dividend tax for directors article for the company-side angle
- Time disposals around 6 April to use two tax years’ allowances
- Check scrip dividends versus cash dividends for tax treatment
For owner-managers thinking about the wider picture, our extracting profit tax-efficiently guide shows how dividends combine with salary, pensions and expenses to lower the overall tax cost of taking money out of the company.
Closing thoughts
Because the dividend allowance is now small, many shareholders with modest holdings need to report dividends each year — start gathering vouchers and broker reports as soon as the tax year ends. Pair this with our self-assessment tax return guide, the limited company vs sole trader article, and the year-end checklist. Cross-check the current rates on GOV.UK before you file. See pricing for bookkeeping with year-end preparation in every plan.