HMRC employment data. Any use?

Software can access HMRC records

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I've been contacted by my software supplier (Gbooks) to say I can access the PAYE data held in HMRC's database and import it into tax returns. They claim it will make enquiries and penalties less likely and anyway it's a free extra (which is nice of them) so what's not to like (my words rather than theirs).

Does anyone have experience of using this data? It sounds maybe too good to be true?

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RLI
By lionofludesch
30th Apr 2017 11:13

Useful - but I wouldn't be using it unchecked.

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By sbayliss
29th Apr 2017 15:17

I've used it to check 2015/16 returns. HMRC is still adding data to the system but I've used the available data to find a few issues with the tax returns submitted.

I found one client had given me the wrong P60 details and had also forgotten about a very small PAYE payment received from another employer. So we've been able to correct the return (with a small amount of extra tax due) before HMRC picks up the problems.

Another client is a freelancer and hadn't realised some of the income included in his accounts was in fact PAYE income with tax already deducted. So he's now due a rebate.

More data will be available over time so I'll be able to check more returns and also check the data entered in 2016/17 tax returns later in the year when things start getting busy. And in my (limited) experience, if you receive different data from the client and from HMRC, it's the taxman's data that turns out to be correct.

There was another thread on this subject - see link below:

https://www.accountingweb.co.uk/any-answers/new-tax-return-pre-populatio...

Thanks (3)
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By JMT21
29th Apr 2017 15:38

First of all, hats off to Gbooks for adding this function. The fact it's free is a definite plus point.

I've only been with them a couple of months and don't have any 2015/16 returns to check. But it sounds as if it's going to be useful in the future.

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Replying to JMT21:
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By mabzden
29th Apr 2017 17:14

JMT21 wrote:

First of all, hats off to Gbooks for adding this function

It doesn't surprise me that Gbooks is the first to market with this. They added the Marriage Allowance API months ago, and were also the first provider to launch efiling for LLP accounts. I've used Gbooks for a few years now and it's been improving all the time and is now top notch software.

I've played with the API service and the availablity of data is patchy. But it's an important innovation and a sign of things to come.

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By SharonC
30th Apr 2017 11:07

Thank you for the replies. It sounds as if it will be useful!

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Morph
By kevinringer
18th May 2017 16:04

PTP have switched on their APIs today for 2016-17 with a footnote that HMRC won't be releasing much of the data (PAYE pay, tax, benefits and tax already refunded) until after HMRC have done their PAYE reconciliation in the summer. At this stage only the MA and C2NICs are working.

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By Tim Vane
18th May 2017 16:15

Taxfiler have this available too but I haven't tried it yet. It seems to want to use HMRC 2 factor verification so I'm a bit wary about turning that on!

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Replying to Tim Vane:
Morph
By kevinringer
18th May 2017 16:42
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