HMRC's Online Return and Forms — PAYE service is to go temporarily offline tomorrow (22 October), and could be unavailable for up to five days while it is upgraded.
Web users will be unable to submit in-year forms online during the period. They are advised by the Revenue to store any forms until the service is restored. If the submission is urgent, it should be made on paper.
Users of commercial software and Electronic Data Interchange will not be affected during the down-time.
During the upgrade, the Revenue will be deleting employer Annual Returns and employee starter and leaver forms for 2004-05 and earlier tax years on users' part of the service, and all unsubmitted data, including amendments to forms, irrespective of the date they were created.
Also from tomorrow, the facility to use the online PAYE service to file P9D and P11D Returns online for 2007-08 will be withdrawn — and taxpayers will not be able to employ the facility to send outstanding 2004-05 Employer Annual Returns (P35 and P14s) after 21 October 2008.
The opportunity to file Employer Annual Returns for 2005-06 onwards will still be available when the service is restored, and from April 2009 users will be able use the service to file P9D and P11D Returns for 2008-09.
Finally, from tomorrow to 26 October (inclusive) taxpayers will not be able to use HMRC's Domestic scheme or Charities, Assets and Residence (CAR) scheme, which involve forms P12 and P37 (Domestics) and forms CA3831 and CA3822 for applications of E101 (CAR).
