HMRC phases in new IT system
The current VAT mainframe computer will be decommissioned next year. HMRC is preparing for this by moving businesses to a new IT system over the next few months. Why might this mean problems with payments?
HMRC intends to start moving taxpayer accounts to a new IT system in July 2021 and hopes to finish by September 2021. This change will affect:
- VAT-registered businesses that are not signed up to Making Tax Digital, i.e. mainly voluntary registrations; and
- businesses that pay their VAT bills by direct debit.
To comply with banking regulations, HMRC has to inform businesses that pay by direct debit of the amount and payment date before the payment is taken. Due to the short timeframe between the return due date and the payment date, HMRC says it will only be able to do this by email following the change. If a business has no email on record, the direct debit will be cancelled, meaning the business is at risk of paying late. It is therefore worth logging into the business tax account now to ensure there is an email address on record.
Related Topics
-
HMRC publishes penalty guidance for MTD IT
HMRC has published guidance on how penalties will apply under Making Tax Digital for Income Tax (MTD IT). With mandation approaching from April 2026, what do you need to know about the new regime?
-
Company car calculator
Want to know the amount of the benefit you will be taxed on by taking a company car? Easily work that out with our tool, you can even see what difference making a contribution to the cost of the car will have.
-
Pension relief calculator
Sometimes the tax relief you get on a pension is easy to work out, and sometimes it isn’t. Let our calculator do it for you and show the effect on your pension fund.