HMRC's real-time PAYE pilot trousers 310 more employers

A further 310 employers have joined HMRC's pilot of Real Time Information (RTI) for PAYE (Pay As You Earn).

The latest group of employers join 10 volunteer organisations which have been piloting the scheme since its launch last month.

The tax authority said that more than 100,000 employee records have been successfully received since the programme went live. Golden Gates Housing Trust was the first employer to successfully submit PAYE payment information under the scheme.

Under RTI, employers and pension providers will notify HMRC about PAYE payments at the time they are made, rather than only at the end of the year. RTI will make it easier for employers, pension providers, and HMRC to administer PAYE.

Commenting on the progress of the project so far, Stephen Banyard, acting director general for personal tax, said the pilot was going well, but added that it was still "early days".

"The whole point of the pilot is to identify any implementation issues. So far, these have been very few and they have been quickly resolved," he said.

"We are working closely with the employers in the pilot who have helped us identify and solve any issues. We have improved our guidance and support for employers and software vendors as a result of the insight and feedback gained."

In the next stage of the project, the tax authority hopes to have up to 1,300 volunteer employers reporting PAYE in real time by September 2012.

This article was originally published at Guardian Government Computing.

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