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September 12, 2014

New in-year penalties for late RTI returns

New in-year penalties for late RTI returnsEmployers with fewer than 50 employees will face automated in-year penalties for late real-time PAYE returns from 6 March 2015, HMRC has announced.

Those who employ 50 or more people will face penalties from 6 October 2014.

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) will send electronic messages to all employers to let them know when the penalties will apply to them, based on the number of employees shown in the department’s records.

Ruth Owen, HMRC director-general for personal tax, said: “Real Time Information is working well. Our most recent figures show that over 95% of PAYE schemes making payments to individuals are successfully reporting in real time, and 70% say that it is easy to do.”

HMRC is introducing the new penalties in stages to give time for smaller businesses to prepare. Owen said: “We know that those who have had most difficulty adjusting to real-time reporting have been small businesses, so this staged approach means they have a little more time to comply with the new arrangements before facing a penalty.”

The new in-year penalties will be issued quarterly, with the first penalty notice being issued early in 2015. They replace the end of year penalties, which apply up to the 2013-14 tax year. Later this month, HMRC will issue end of year penalties for employers who it believes failed to send their final submission for 2013-14 on time. More information about the new in-year penalties can be found on the GOV.UK website.

Where employers believe they have a reasonable excuse for sending a return late, they will be able to appeal using HMRC’s new online appeals process for automated penalties. In the run-up to March 2015, HMRC says it will examine other ways to encourage employers to comply with the rules, in addition to financial penalties.

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