Skip to main content

Accessibility statement for Online Payments service

This accessibility statement explains how accessible this service is, what to do if you have difficulty using it, and how to report accessibility problems with the service.

This service is part of the wider GOV.UK website. There is a separate accessibility statement for the main GOV.UK website.

This page only contains information about the Online Payments service, available at https://www.tax.service.gov.uk/pay.

Using this service

The Online Payments service is HMRC’s Digital card payment journey. It allows users to pay their tax liabilities for regimes including but not limited to VAT, SA, COTAX and EPAYE. It accepts business and personal Debit cards and business credit cards.

This service is run by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC). We want as many people as possible to be able to use this service. This means you should be able to:

  • change colours, contrast levels and fonts
  • zoom in up to 300% without the text spilling off the screen
  • get from the start of the service to the end using just a keyboard
  • get from the start of the service to the end using speech recognition software
  • listen to the service using a screen reader (including the most recent versions of JAWS, NVDA and VoiceOver)

We have also made the text in the service as simple as possible to understand.

AbilityNet has advice on making your device easier to use if you have a disability.

How accessible this service is

This service is partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.1 AA standard.

Some people may find parts of this service difficult to use:

  • At one point we display a payment iFrame, which is controlled by Barclaycard. Visually impaired users may find it difficult to navigate, even with assistive technology.
  • There are some error messages in this service that may not be descriptive enough for some users with visual impairments - however they are compatible with common assistive technology tools.
  • At some points we display pages where the formatting for individual elements on screen are not fully suitable for screen reading technologies and results in a difficult to navigate page due to incomplete information. However using a screen reader to read back the entire page will provide all the information needed to navigate the page with confidence.

What to do if you have difficulty using this service

You can contact HMRC for extra support if you need help with filling in forms or getting a different format, like large print, audio recording or Braille.

Reporting accessibility problems with this service

We are always looking to improve the accessibility of this service. If you find any problems that are not listed on this page or think we are not meeting accessibility requirements, report the accessibility problem.

If you are not happy with our response

The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is responsible for enforcing the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018 (the 'accessibility regulations'). If you are not happy with how we respond to your complaint, contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS) or the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland (ECNI) if you live in Northern Ireland.

Contacting us by phone or getting a visit from us in person

We provide a text relay service if you are deaf, hearing impaired or have a speech impediment.

We can provide a British Sign Language (BSL) interpreter, or you can arrange a visit from an HMRC advisor to help you complete the service.

Find out how to get extra support from HMRC.

Technical information about this service’s accessibility

HMRC is committed to making this service accessible, in accordance with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018.

This service is partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.1 AA standard, due to the non-compliances listed below.

Non‐accessible content

The content listed below is non-accessible for the following reasons.

Non‐compliance with the accessibility regulations

We use a Barclaycard iFrame to take the card details and payments for the charge or tax users are paying. This iFrame does not give users the chance to confirm their details once they have entered them. This does not meet WCAG 2.1 success criterion 3.3.6 (Error Prevention). This will be fixed by 15 December 2021.

We use titles on our webpages in order to describe the topic or purpose of the page that the user is currently viewing. In some instances, the Tab titles and main titles are not consistent. This means the service does not meet WCAG 2.1 success criterion 2.4.6 (Headings and Labels). This will be fixed by 15 December 2021.

We use page headings and subheadings to describe the topic or purpose of fields in a webpage. On certain pages there are level 3 headings that are actually level 2 headings, which causes people using screen readers to receive unclear information regarding the page. This means the service does not meet WCAG success criterion 2.4.10 (Section Headings). This will be fixed by 15 December 2021.

We use radio buttons to present users with options on our webpages, these are grouped together to enable easier navigation for keyboard only users. In some instances, these groups are missing their labelling, which prevents some screen reading software from narrating the label. This means the service does not meet WCAG success criterion 2.4.6 (Headings and Labels). This will be fixed by 15 December 2021.

How we tested this service

The service was last tested on 25 September 2019 and was checked for compliance with WCAG 2.1 AA.

The service was built using parts that were tested by the Digital Accessibility Centre. The full service was tested by HMRC and included disabled users.

This page was prepared on 9 October 2019. It was last updated on 11 February 2021.

Is this page not working properly? (opens in new tab)