National training to prepare for changes to PAYE

HMRC are urging employers to prepare for RTI as soon as possible, and IRIS is seeing enrolment numbers for RTI training courses rapidly increasing as a result. To help meet high industry demand for more information and raise understanding of the imminent change, IRIS is increasing the number of its RTI courses by 25 per cent, holding them across the country before the end of March.

In April 2013 employers will have to start sending PAYE returns electronically, using RTI-enabled payroll software, to HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) each time they pay their employees as part of routine payroll processes. The returns will include details of all employees’ pay, tax and deductions. This new process will replace sending a separate return at the end of the year.

Employers are required to begin to report in real time in April 2013, unless HMRC has specified a different date.

The introduction of RTI is now less than three months away, but recent research from the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) found that 25 per cent of small businesses had never heard of the legislation. An independent study by IRIS Software Group confirmed these fears, with 55 per cent of respondents saying they felt unprepared and 80 per cent feeling that HMRC had not supplied adequate information.

Mark Paraskeva, CEO at IRIS SME Division said: “I welcome the announcement from HMRC, encouraging employers to look at what changes they will need to make to their business operations as soon as possible. We recommend all businesses check that their systems and processes will be RTI compliant and prepare accordingly.”

He continued: “We noticed a severe lack of RTI training and support in the market some time ago, possibly due to a lack of awareness and understanding of the change taking place in what is now only 90 days. We began offering RTI training seminars to any business, whether they were IRIS customers or not, last summer, in an attempt to help ensure employers are prepared for the transition.”

IRIS has already enrolled nearly 9,500 people on RTI training courses in 2012, but demand continues to rise and many courses across the UK have sold out. As a result, IRIS has scheduled some 25 per cent more courses to take place in the next three months, and introduced online seminars and on site consultations for those unable to attend the classroom based sessions.

Viewed as the biggest change to payroll since PAYE was introduced in 1944, RTI will completely alter the way employers run payroll and will affect 1.4 million SMEs from April. Instead of submitting data to HMRC annually, this information will now have to be submitted electronically, on or before, each time an employer makes a payroll run.

HMRC stated that their aim in introducing RTI is to make the PAYE process simpler for employers and pension providers, while making in-year deductions more accurate for individuals. However, with a number of new processes to learn before implementation, it is vital businesses start preparing as soon as possible.

For more information on the RTI training IRIS offers or to book your place, visit: http://small-business-software.iris.co.uk//training/rti-classroom-training.aspx