P11D form definition

View the related Tax Guidance about P11D form

Loan charge

Loan chargeOverview of the loan chargeIn 2017, legislation was introduced to impose a ‘disguised remuneration’ charge upon loans from ‘employee benefit trusts’ (EBTs), ‘Employer-Financed Retirement Benefits Schemes’ (EFRBS) and similar arrangements. This is also known as the ‘loan charge’. It originally applied to any individual who received a loan (with a few limited exceptions) via a disguised remuneration scheme on or after 6 April 1999 that was still outstanding on 5 April 2019, but its scope was limited following an independent review of the loan charge in December 2019 (see below and the Outcome of the independent loan charge review guidance note). Note that a further independent review into the loan charge was launched in January 2025. This is due to report in Summer 2025. The review will examine the barriers preventing those who are subject to the loan charge but have not already settled and paid their tax liabilities in full from reaching resolution with HMRC. It will recommend ways in which they can be encouraged to settle with HMRC. See the Written Ministerial Statement. See also HMRC issue briefing: operational activity during the new independent review of the Loan Charge. As part of the further 2025 review a new Independent Loan Charge Review 2025 ― Call for Evidence was issued on 31 March 2025. This requires a tight turnaround, with responses required from the public and advisers by 30 May 2025. At this stage there is little suggestion of what further HMRC actions might be in the

What are employer compliance checks?

What are employer compliance checks?The purpose of employer compliance checksThe purpose of an employer compliance check is to satisfy HMRC that all earnings and benefits have been identified and reported correctly by an employer, and that associated payments of income tax and NIC have been made within the statutory time limits. The checks will also consider whether statutory payments and deductions are correct. In the case of large employers (those to which a Customer Compliance Manager has been assigned by HMRC), Know Your Customer visits may be made by HMRC. These are outside the scope of this guidance note.Selection of employers for checksHMRC’s Risk and Intelligence Service (RIS) identifies the cases for compliance checks. This is to remove any bias from the process. Whilst cases are usually selected because a risk has been identified, random selections are also made. Disgruntled former employees or former spouses / partners (of both the business and personal variety) of owners can be a source of HMRC information, although RIS officers are well aware that such information may be incorrect and motivated by non-tax considerations. Employers may wish to consider what could have prompted a check and ensure that they address the issue in their initial meeting with HMRC, since the officer conducting the check is told of any risk that has been identified. Although at one time it was generally thought that an employer could expect ‘a PAYE review’ every six or so years, this is no longer the case and some employers

Year-end benefit reporting

Year-end benefit reportingIn addition to paying employees their basic pay and other pay-related items such as overtime and bonuses, it is not uncommon for employers to provide benefits and reimburse business expenses. See Simon’s Taxes E4.601.Unless, there is an exemption in the legislation, the value of these benefits and expenses needs to be reported to HMRC at year-end so that tax and Class 1A NIC can be collected. Class 1A NIC is an employer only charge (there is no corresponding employee NIC charge) on benefits and expenses that have not been subject to Class 1 NIC through the payroll. See Simon’s Taxes E8.233.For a client factsheet which summarises the PAYE implications of benefits reporting, see the Factsheet - benefits reporting.P11D and P11D(b)Benefits and expenses are reported on a P11D or payrolled. See the Voluntary payrolling of benefits in kind guidance note for more on payrolling.An employer’s declaration is required including the value of both payrolled benefits and those reported on P11Ds and this is made on a P11D(b). See Simon’s Taxes E4.11124.From 6 April 2023, P11Ds and P11D(b) must be sent electronically either via the PAYE Online for employers service or the PAYE Online for Agents service. The guidance on Expenses and benefits for employers includes links to login to the PAYE Online service for to report. Up to 5 April 2023, HMRC accepted P11Ds and P11D(b)s either on paper or electronically.An exception is that, a small number of employers use the Mileage Allowance Relief Optional Reporting Scheme (MARORS)

Voluntary payrolling of benefits in kind

Voluntary payrolling of benefits in kindPayrolling of benefits is the collection of tax due on the benefit by the employee through payroll in real time. The legislative framework for voluntary payrolling of benefits in kind can be found in ITEPA 2003 and the PAYE Regulations. Payrolling benefits ― pros and consPayrolling of benefits is currently voluntary, so employers can choose whether they wish to payroll a benefit and which benefits to payroll with the exception of two particular benefits which are specifically excluded from the legislation (see below). The difference between payrolling a benefit and reporting it the standard way via a P11D is as follows (this assumes it is a benefit to which both tax and Class 1A NIC applies; treatment of the benefit will vary.In what is expected to be a significant development, in January 2024 the Government confirmed it was intending to make the payrolling of benefits mandatory from April 2026. The positioning of this new potential employer obligation as a Simplification update would seem to be ‘optimistic’; especially if the new measure were implemented without adequate consultation and with insufficient time permitted to allow all different types of employers to comply. Clearly however the measure has the potential to reduce the significant HMRC resources, which are required currently, to process P11D forms.Subsequently, the Autumn Budget 2024 confirmed the new Labour Government was also in favour of the change, and evidently considers the timescale for introduction of the new measures (ie April 2026) reasonable, though perhaps

Negotiating the outcome of an employer compliance check

Negotiating the outcome of an employer compliance checkDealing with the irregularities that may arise from an employer compliance check requires a good working knowledge of the applicable legislation and practice. Arguments based solely on concepts such as fairness and reasonableness are unlikely to carry much, if any, weight with HMRC and can unnecessarily prolong the period between the opening of the review and its conclusion. However, it should be borne in mind that although employer compliance officers see a wide range of businesses and are experienced in identifying areas where weaknesses commonly occur, they are not technical experts and can and do sometimes misinterpret legislation or be unaware that rules in earlier periods were different.In addition, regardless of the contents of guidance notes and other explanatory material produced by HMRC, it is the legislation and supporting regulations that prescribe the law. Whilst guidance may be helpful, the standard statement in HMRC booklets still applies: “This guide sets out HMRC approach in applying legislation…The guide itself has no binding force in law and does not affect any right of appeal by either party.”Agreeing the liabilitiesWhen compliance officers are certain of their position, they will provide schedules of:•tax and NIC understated•interest from the due date to the actual or estimated payment date with credit for earlier payments on accountIn the most straightforward cases, these will be issued under cover of a single letter alongside the notes of the meeting. In other cases, the schedules will only be prepared once

Nil paid and partly paid shares

Nil paid and partly paid sharesThis note considers the taxation of partly paid shares and the tax treatment of shares acquired on deferred terms. Although they have a very similar tax treatment they have different legal effects and commercial implications. In essence both types of arrangement involve acquiring shares and paying for them at a later date.Nil paid or partly paid shares ― these are shares that are issued as new shares by the company to the employee on terms that state the shares must be paid up at a later date. The shares must be paid up if the company makes a call for the outstanding subscription price.Shares acquired on deferred payment terms ― these are existing shares that are transferred to the employee by a third party but where the purchase price is left outstanding as a debt owing to the vendor. However, the shares have already been paid up and so are not subject to a call from the company.Commercial considerationsWhy consider a nil or partly paid shares arrangement? Its prime use is where it is thought desirable for an employee to acquire shares in the company on the same terms as other shareholders, but where the employee does not have the fund available to pay for the shares. As a result, the employee is at risk (often referred to an ‘on the hook’) to the extent of the current market value of the shares. Any future growth in value should normally be subject to capital