Yesterday I received a text reminding me that I had tax due and should pay before 31 January 22. It looked genuine, so I went on to my personal tax account and found I owed 10p so paid the 10p due by direct debit.
I have subsequently found (in the spam box) two generic emails saying much the same thing but in a very confusing and generic way, again they look genuine. So its not really clear whether I did need to pay the balancing payment, or if it would have been taken from my code, or what. The emails were very generic.
Dear customer,
Thank you for filing your Self Assessment tax return. The deadline to pay any tax you owe is 31 January 2022.
You’ll need to go into your Self Assessment online account to check what you owe. This can help you budget and plan for your January payment.
Thank you if you’ve already paid, set up a Direct Debit or chosen to pay through your tax code. You don’t need to do anything else.
and the second one said
Thank you for sending us your Self Assessment tax return for 2020-21.
(As mentioned in our earlier email) If you still need to make a payment, you have until the 31 January 2022 to pay any tax you owe.
Our online support includes this short video, 'How do I pay my Self Assessment tax bill' on HMRC’s YouTube channel.
If you’ve already paid, set up a direct debit or chosen to pay through your tax code, thank you. You don’t need to do anything else.
I don't know if I really did need to pay or if everyone who did a tax return got a similar email.