Jun 2016
2
PAYE Late Filing Penalties - 3 day Easement Continued by HMRC for 2016-17
During the 2016-17 tax year, HMRC has decided to continue their approach of the 3 day easement and the risk-based approach to charging penalties. Employers will not incur penalties for delays up to three days in filing PAYE information to HMRC. This is due to a review of this approach that was implemented in the 2015-16 tax year which showed a large reduction in returns being filed late.
Employers are required to file their PAYE information to HMRC on or before each payment date, which is the statutory filing date, unless the circumstances set out in the 'sending an FPS after payday guidance' are met. The three day easement is not an extension to the statutory filing date. No late filing penalties will be charged for late filing up to three days after the statutory filing date. However, employers who consistently are filing their returns for up to the three days after the statutory filing date will be monitored by HMRC and may be issued with a penalty.
HMRC will continue to monitor the situation and will review their approach if necessary for the tax year 2017-18, focusing on employers who are constantly filing late and failing to meet the statutory deadlines.
