How long is filing an FPS meant to take ?

How long is filing an FPS meant to take ?

Didn't find your answer?

I have luckily managed to keep out of most RTI things, but my colleague who does deal with it is away, and has got somebody in today to help.

I had no idea, and we are timing it, that each FPS and EPS take between 9 and 10 minutes each to go through to HMRC. Is that normal ? that's about 2 or 3 payrolls an hour...that's a full weeks work just to get through the one/two director payrolls. I was rather hoping she'd finish a large chunk today...but at this rate she'll still be here after easter ! I can't believe that it's always been like this surely ? 

Replies (28)

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By rjoconnor81
11th Apr 2014 11:57

Software

Which software are you using? We have used Sage and Moneysoft and each FPS takes less than a minute.  It could be your broadband connection though.

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By dnicholson
11th Apr 2014 12:03

HMRC are taking a little longer at present to process filings, but then it is a very busy time of year. Once you have filed and received a Gateway acknowledgement your software may allow you to do other things and come back later to pick up the final response.

Even if that response takes days you have still filed on time.

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By Xcast
11th Apr 2014 12:04

Is this a regular thing or just today?

I use Moneysoft and normally the responses are fairly instant.

However today I have just filed 4 EPS returns and 1 FPS return and, although I have received e-mail confirmation that the reports have been filed Moneysoft still shows the reports as outstanding.

Looks like there may be a problem (another one) at HMRC

 

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By Kazmc
11th Apr 2014 12:04

Not normally.

It does usually submit within seconds however today it is painfully slow. We use Sage and they have put up a message saying that submissions are slow due to high volume of traffic on Government Gateway.

 

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By Paul Soper
11th Apr 2014 12:07

Check broadband speed

You could use speedtest.net - ignore the ads that load first - I am currently getting a download speed of 62.22mbps (great 'cos I only pay for 60) but an upload speed, and that's the one you are interested in, of 2.96mbps.

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By coops456
11th Apr 2014 12:48

The usual Friday payday FPSs on top of thousands of year-end EPSs = inevitable bottleneck.

It is painfully and frustratingly slow. We are now planning to take it easy this afternoon and crack on after dinner tonight - the advantage of working from home!

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Replying to Ian.hardiman:
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By Xcast
11th Apr 2014 13:00

The thing is...

You shouldn't have to.

The Revenue expect us to do everything on time but the same rules don't apply to them.

I'm sure they won't accept "a bottleneck at work" as a valid excuse if we don't get information to them when expected.

 

coops456 wrote:

crack on after dinner tonight - the advantage of working from home!

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Replying to Ian.hardiman:
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By Xcast
11th Apr 2014 20:06

Hope this hasn't given you indigestion!

coops456 wrote:

crack on after dinner tonight!

I trust that you enjoyed your dinner.

How long do you plan to carry on working on a Friday Night, as I've still got FPS returns filed at 1.13 p.m. which are still outstanding?

It would be quicker to drive down to the Revenue and post it through the letterbox (as if that would ever work!)

As Moira Stewart once said "Tax doesn't have to be Taxing"................

Unless it's run by the Inland Revenue!!

 

 

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By coops456
11th Apr 2014 15:32

it's getting worse

Now upwards of an hour delay, and it's also affecting things like CIS verification and Corporation Tax too. Pathetic.

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By Kazmc
11th Apr 2014 15:35

We have a....

We have a submission that was sent at 1.38pm still with no response, nearly 2 hours!

We are having to come in tomorrow now in the hope the systems are quieter and therefore quicker as we have 350 yearend submissions to go by Thursday!

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By 3569787
03rd May 2016 16:34

HMRC IT Support message

.

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By Kazmc
11th Apr 2014 16:11

@fawltybasil2575

I have absolutely no intention of coming into the office on Good Friday or Saturday!

I wish I was off to the Bahamas but If I could afford that I certainly wouldn't be working here!!

 

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By Kazmc
11th Apr 2014 16:41

@fawltybasil1575

No problem at all, nice long weekend to look forward to :)

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By coops456
12th Apr 2014 16:08

You're absolutely right

- here we are 24 hours on, and still awaiting responses.

HMRC website is still saying:

We are aware that some customers may be experiencing unusually long delays in receiving submission responses. This is currently under investigation and we will update this message once resolved.

As a former IT pro, I'm dismayed at the apparent inability of HMRC systems to scale up and cope with highly predictable peaks of demand.

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By 3569787
03rd May 2016 16:35

EPS and FPS done to-day

.

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By coops456
13th Apr 2014 20:53

Same experience here

Those we sent today got immediate response. Still awaiting responses for submissions sent on Friday. I really hope they come through tomorrow, cos all those lightning bolts on my Moneysoft screen are bad for blood pressure!

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By CarolineC
14th Apr 2014 11:02

Revenue delays

I tried filing an FPS yesterday afternoon (Sunday - I work from home).  Still waiting for notice of successful submission.  My software suggests I check back in 24 hours!  I agree with the person who commented that we can't cite excessive workloads or demands as a reasonable excuse to the Revenue.

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Replying to Kathysymonds:
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By CarolineC
15th Apr 2014 15:49

Delayed response to RTI submissions

I submitted an FPS on Sunday afternoon and 48 hours later, it is still being shown as "submitting" so I rang the online services help desk who confirmed they received it on Sunday afternoon.  It is just the issue of the receipt which is delayed.

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By fazanders
14th Apr 2014 11:11

Was working fine.....

All was good this morning until around 10.30 and then we went back to the lag and delays of submitting everything! Could everyone stop for a while until I've finished submitting the rest of mine? ;-) 

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By JennieF
14th Apr 2014 11:11

HMRC emails

I filed FPS for 4 clients on Friday and have received over 70 receipt emails from HMRC over the weekend !!!!!!!!!!! approx 20 for each submission ........... there is def something wrong with their systems - busy now keeping just one and deleting all the rest :-)

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By Kazmc
14th Apr 2014 11:15

We have.....

We have had about 1000+ emails!!

Our submissions from Friday, Saturday and Sunday now seem to be going through and being verified as successful and accepted.

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By JennieF
14th Apr 2014 11:20

...and I thought 70 emails was tiresome ...... off now to check that all mine have gone through and been accepted ..... which means opening up all the 2013-14 payrolls yet again  ..... some clients have had no receipts at all so I have had to check all the emails to see who they were for .....

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By Kazmc
14th Apr 2014 12:18

Stopped Again!

Ours have stopped going through again.... Arghhhhh!

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By Trevor Blackmur
14th Apr 2014 14:19

HMRC Service Status

The most recent service status message appears at the end of the list of services under the Service availability page as follows:

Service issues affecting RTI, SA, VAT, Student Loans, CT and TPSS

We are aware there have been service issues since mid-afternoon Friday 11th April, and apologise if you have experienced problems while trying to submit returns to us. We've been working to put things right and we now believe the issue has been resolved. However, there is a backlog of reply messages for submissions made between Friday and Sunday 13th April. We are working to clear the backlog and expect to have done that within 24 hours.

We will update the message again when the backlog is cleared.                                                   This means you could miss it if you don't scroll down to the end of the list and simply click on the PAYE option where it is not repeated. HMRC say they are planning to update the message later today and make it more prominent. Hopefully this will include information on when they hope to have it permanently fixed given that the problem very clearly has not been resolved.

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By Trevor Blackmur
15th Apr 2014 15:57

Extension to deadline

The big problem is that technically there is only a 2 week window in which to file the Final Submission EPS. This is because in theory you cannot guarantee an accurate answer to every one of the questions on the submission until 6th April as there are potentially third party payments that may have been made to employees up to and including 5th April. So when something like this happens it does not leave a great deal of room to put things right. The ATT have today formerly requested an extension to the deadline.

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By Paul Soper
16th Apr 2014 14:50

Yes but...

It should be borne in mind that the "final" FPS does not really have a 'two week window', there is nothing to stop you submitting the final FPS and then, if need be, submitting an EYU after the 19th of April.  The final FPS is supposed to be submitted on or before the last payment made in the year to 5 April.

The short deadline is to enable the income figures, hours worked etc to be fed into the benefits system, if it is not received by 19 April there will be a knock-on effect into benefits so some claimants may receive incorrect sums or nothing at all.  The ATT may have requested a deadline extension but without a larger alteration to the benefits system they won't get it.  HMRC should have separated out the final questions into a stand-alone submission which would have avoided the problem.

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By Trevor Blackmur
16th Apr 2014 16:20

I agree but...

I agree Paul. There is still a requirement to file the FPS 'on or before' or at least by the 5th under the relaxed rules, and then it is possible to file the final declaration on an EPS after 5th April but I believe an EYU is then required if it is later than 19th April. I understand however that not all commercial software has the EYU filing facility so many employers and agents are going to be left with additional burden to find an alternative means such as HMRC's own BPT. It is also not certain what the filing requirement and penalty regime will look like next year, so we are simply asking for the general date for the final submission to be moved back to 19th May, not withstanding the relevant  'on or before' rules will still apply.

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By onicholson
16th Apr 2014 16:45

EYU replaces FPS

The EYU replaces the FPS, not the EPS. You can file an EPS for any recent year long after 19th April.

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