When to correct HMRC liability outside of Sage 50 Payroll
Description

If you submit a Full Payment Submission (FPS) with incorrect data to HMRC, there are some scenarios where you must contact HMRC to correct them.


Scenarios

Sometimes you can ask HMRC to use the year to date values from your most recent FPS to resolve some of these situations.

In other cases, HMRC's basic tools software can help, although we recommend you check this with HMRC before you take this approach. 

Select a scenario below to find out more.

▼ You need to submit an amendment for the 19/20 tax year or prior

This isn't possible using Sage 50 Payroll. To submit an adjustment for this period, contact HMRC for advice on using their Basic Tools software.

▼ You've submitted a duplicate FPS

If you've sent more than one FPS for a particular pay period, this doubles the liability on HMRC's system for that period. This affects each employee on both submissions.

For example, this could occur if you process and submit a period, then you restore a backup including RTI files to before the FPS. Your software no longer knows you already sent an FPS, and allows you to send a second FPS.

An FPS adjustment isn't possible in this situation. When you send this submission, your software compares the values processed to the last FPS sent. They already match in this scenario, so there's no adjustment to send.

You can't reverse this using your software. Contact HMRC to request that they use the year to date values on your most recent submission to correct the total liability.

▼ Incorrect leave date submitted on an FPS

If you've marked a leaver with an incorrect date and submitted to HMRC, you can't amend this with your software.

Correct the leave date in Sage 50 Payroll, then contact HMRC to correct the leave date on their systems.

▼ HMRC asks you to send another FPS adjustment for a period when you've not processed any more changes

When you reprocess a period that you've already sent on an FPS, you submit an FPS adjustment to send any changes to HMRC.

Once you've sent an FPS adjustment, your software can't send another until you reprocess again and make further changes.

If HMRC asks you to send another FPS adjustment when you've already sent one, contact HMRC to explain this isn't possible.

▼ HMRC asks you so submit an FPS for a period before your last FPS

It's not possible to submit an FPS from your software for a period before your last FPS.

For example, if you've processed and submitted up to month 10, you can't send an FPS for month nine or before. This applies even where you missed a submission in a prior period.

As this isn't possible, contact HMRC and explain that you're unable to send this submission from your payroll software.

Every FPS you submit includes year to date values for each employee. As long as you process all periods correctly, the year to date values on your latest submission are correct. As an alternative, ask HMRC to use the year to dates from your most recent submission to correct their totals. This accounts for any missing periods.

▼ HMRC asks you to resubmit a year to date FPS for a prior tax year

It's not possible to submit an FPS for any period before your most recent FPS. This means it's not possible to resubmit an FPS for a prior tax year.

The Amend a previous tax year submission can amend figures with HMRC for the previous tax year only. This submission can only submit adjustments that occur when you've reprocessed, rather than send a full FPS.

To resolve this, contact HMRC to ask for alternatives, as the requested submission isn't possible.

▼ You accidentally submitted a 'rolled up' FPS for multiple tax periods after moving computers

When you move Sage 50 Payroll to a new computer, you need to set up your companies on the new computer. If you restore a backup to do this, you need to include RTI files.

If you restore a backup on a new computer, you need to include RTI files. Where you don't restore RTI files, your software doesn't know what submissions you've sent for this company.

In this case, your software includes the values from all periods in the tax year when you submit your next FPS. This is a rolled up submission.

You can't remove this submission using your software once you've sent it. Instead, contact HMRC's debt management team and ask that they use the year to date values on your submission to correct the liability.

NOTE:

If you can't correct a liability issue using your software, contact HMRC. Where you can't agree a solution with HMRC, you may need to raise a dispute. For more information on this, go to gov.uk