HMRC publishes scenarios where firms would be RTI exempt

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has published a list of where small businesses and others would be made exempt from Real Time Information (RTI), the new method of reporting PAYE data that is set to come into force in six months' time.

Among them is where payments vary according to the work done on the day, or where it is impractical to report on or before the payroll deadline.

Furthermore, notional payments - such as those where there is no transfer of money from the employer to employee, including shares - would be made exempt and in this instance HMRC can be notified 14 days after the end of the tax month in which payment was made.

Despite representing the biggest change to the PAYE system in its history, research published by TaxAssist Accountants and the All-Parliamentary Taxation Group suggests that there is still a lack of understanding among the small business community on RTI.

Some 61.1 per cent of those questioned said that they do not know what RTI is, while 46.2 per cent are still unsure as to when it will be mandatory for their business to be compliant with the new method.

Any small business in any doubt should contact TaxAssist Accountants to ensure they are prepared for the switchover.

Posted by Thomas Fletcher

Date published 29 Nov 2012 | Last updated 29 Nov 2012