If an employee is provided with the use of a company van and/or fuel for private use, this is a taxable benefit that should be declared on a P11D or taxed as a Benefit in Kind (BiK) through payroll.

Van or Company Car?

Vans and company cars are treated differently for tax purposes. For HMRC's guidance on what constitutes a van, Read more >

The Helpdesk cannot advise you on whether a vehicle should be classed as a van or a company car, if in doubt, please contact HMRC. 

To set up a company van

1. Click Payroll, double-click P11D Module, double-click General File Maintenance, then click Vans.
2. Any Vans already added are listed. Click Add 
3. The software automatically assigns the next available Van ID Number. Enter the Van Registration No. and the Van First Registered date.
4. Click 
5. Click Exit 

To allocate a van to an employee

You can use the Data Loader to add vans to employees using profile 72 - P11D Van Import. Alternatively, you can add a van to an employee manually using the steps below.

1. Click Payroll, double-click P11D Module, then click Employee Benefit Details.
2. Use the Lookup  to select the Employee Number and the Tax Year.
3. Click the Vans tab.
4. Click Add 
5. Use the Lookup  to select the Registration Number.
6. The Issue Date and End Date will default to the start and end of the tax year. If the employee did not have the van for the whole of the year, amend these dates as required.
7. The Days Unavailable will be calculated from the Issue and End dates automatically. If the employee had other whole days that they did not have access to the van (if it was in the garage for maintenance, for example) you can add to this number manually by over-typing it.
8. Enter the Van Foregone amount if there is one (this is the amount of pay or allowances that the employee has given up under an Optional Remuneration Agreement in order to get this benefit).
9. Enter any contributions for private or shared use.
10. If the company provided fuel for private use, enter yes in Fuel Provided (Y/N). This will enable some further options:
    Date Free Fuel Withdrawn - if the company stopped providing fuel for private use, enter the date this happened.
    Free Fuel Reinstated - if the company started providing fuel again, enter Y here.
    Van Fuel Foregone - if the employee gave up pay or allowances under an Optional Remuneration Agreement to get the fuel benefit, enter the amount here.
11. Click Save 
12. Click Exit 

Frequently asked questions

Q. An employee had a change of van part way through the tax year, but has had access to a van all year. When I enter these details, the P11D cost is slightly lower if I enter it as two vans, than if I enter it as them having one van all year?
A. This is correct, and is due to rounding. The two vans are calculated separately with a pro-rata cost being calculated for each and rounded down to the nearest pound, and then the amounts added together to give a total. Entering it as two vans would be the correct way to do it.

Q. How do I know if the vehicle I have provided to my employee is classed by HMRC as a van, or a company car?
A. Ask HMRC. The helpdesk cannot answer this for you.