Expenses and Benefits Returns for 2019/20

Employers who provided taxable expenses and benefits to their employees during the 2019/20 tax year will, as usual, have to tell HMRC about these by 6 July 2020. This obligation is unchanged despite the COVID-19 pandemic.

Form P11D

Form P11D is used to tell HMRC about taxable benefits and expenses provided to employees where these have not been payrolled or included within a PAYE settlement. If the employer has payrolled some benefits but not others, only those benefits which have not been payrolled should be included on the P11D.

Exempt benefits

Benefits and expenses which are covered by a tax exemption do not need to be shown on the P11D. However, exemptions are only available if all the associated conditions are met. Remember, where provision is made via an optional remuneration arrangement, for most benefits the exemption is lost and thus the benefit should be notified on the P11D.

Taxable value

The taxable value of the benefit is its cash equivalent value, unless provision is made via an optional remuneration scheme. Where a benefit-specific rule exists, as is the case for company cars and employment-related loans, the cash equivalent value is calculated in accordance with the relevant rules; where there is no specific rule, the general rule applies. This is the cost to the employer less any amount made good by the employee (which must be by 6 July after the end of the tax year). HMRC produce worksheets which can be used to work out the cash equivalent value for some benefits. These can be found on the Gov.uk website.

If the benefit is made available under an optional remuneration scheme, such as a salary sacrifice arrangement, alternative valuation rules apply to all but a handful of benefits. In this case, the taxable amount is the ‘relevant amount’. Broadly, this is the salary foregone where this is more than the cash equivalent value. The alternative valuation rules do not apply to pensions or pensions’ advice, childcare, employer-provided cycles and cyclists’ safety equipment under cycle to work schemes, and cars with CO2 emission of 75g/km or less, and transitional rules apply in certain cases.

P11D(b)

The P11D(b) is the employer’s declaration that all required P11Ds have been filed, and also the Class 1A National Insurance return. Remember to take account of payrolled benefits when working out the Class 1A National Insurance liability.

A P11D(b) is still required even if you have no P11Ds to file because all benefits have been payrolled.

If you provided benefit and expenses in 2018/19 but not in 2019/20, you may need to make a nil declaration. This will be required if HMRC sent you either a P11D(b) or a reminder letter. The notification can be made online.

How and when to file

Expenses and benefits returns (P11D and P11D(b)) can be filed online using HMRC’s Expenses and Benefits Online Service, PAYE for Employers or commercial software. Paper returns can also be submitted.

Returns for 2019/20 must reach HMRC by 6 July 2020. Employees must be given a copy of their P11D or details of the information that it contains by the same date.

The Class 1A National Insurance liability must reach HMRC by 22 July 2020 where payment is made electronically. Where payment is made by cheque, the deadline is 19 July; however, as this falls on a Sunday this year, the cheque must be with HMRC by Friday 17 July.

How we can help

Discuss with us what you need to do in order to meet your filing obligations during these challenging times.