Is your payroll office ready for RTI?

‘Real Time Information (RTI) is about to become one of the biggest things to hit payroll since the introduction of Pay As You Earn (PAYE).’ That’s according to John Black, RTI specialist at Midland HR, writing on the Fresh Business Thinking website. This fundamental change to how and when employees pay details are sent to HMRC affects all employers and businesses. Rather than an end-of-year P45 submission, employees’ pay details will be sent monthly. All businesses need to be signed up for the new scheme by October of this year. Many businesses have taken part in trials of these changes for the payroll department since April. Feedback so far has been generally positive. Payroll managers are encouraged both to get involved early in the scheme and to speak to their supplier of payroll software. For a clear, comprehensive guide for payroll managers and employees, read the full article at http://www.freshbusinessthinking.com/articles_print.php?CID=1&AID=10775

More help to be offered at tax office

To help individuals and businesses get through to the previously overstretched HMRC call centres, staff numbers are to be increased with 1000 more recruits. Large investments are due to be made at tax helpline call centres in order to meet its target of answering 90% of calls. A report in June of this year found that currently one quarter of calls go unanswered with many people hanging up after waiting an average of nearly 6 minutes. Quoted in an article on the  Accountancy Age  website, Liz Homer, Chief Executive of HMRC, described the current situation, “”The feedback we get is that the quality of the advice we give when people get through is good, but we haven't been answering enough calls." Response rates have increased recently and the Treasury aims to reach its targets with future investments. For more details on the new jobs at tax office call centres read the full article at http://www.accountancyage.com/aa/news/2198024/taxman-to-take-on-extra-1-000-contact-staff