Secure and convenient

Finance - News

Tuesday, 19 December 2006

The Inland Revenue outlines the benefits of its online services.

Online communication and customer self-service is changing the way businesses interact and communicate with users. As leaders in the field of UK government online transactions, the Inland Revenue provides a range of secure, efficient and convenient online services for:

Individuals and employees;
Employers;
Businesses and corporations;
Agents and tax practitioners;
Software developers.

Benefits and choice

Benefits of doing business with us online include speed, convenience, immediate online acknowledgements and automatic calculations. Prompt, accurate processing also means your information is transferred directly to our records with no manual intervention, reducing the likelihood of errors.

And with the customer in mind, our award-winning website offers clear and quick routes to all online services. There is a 'login' link on the top of every page that allows customers to use our online services from any point within the site, or they can visit a dedicated 'do it online' section of the website. Here they are presented with a one-stop shop where they can self-serve, day and night, seven days a week to:

Interact quickly and at their convenience from one single entry point;
Understand and receive what they are entitled to;
Understand and pay what they owe.

Individuals and employees

With over three million registered users, Self Assessment Online provides a suite of services, including an online tax return, which is easier to use and cuts out calculation errors. You will also get an immediate acknowledgement of receipt, plus your tax will be calculated automatically and you should receive a quicker repayment if you are owed money.

You can also take advantage of a range of other options, such as viewing details of your liabilities and payments, your last statement, a secure email facility and an option to receive notifications and reminders by email or text message.

Other services we offer for individuals and employees include Tax Credits Online and Child Benefit Online.

Employers

PAYE Online for Employers lets you use the Internet or electronic data interchange (EDI) to send and receive a wide range of PAYE forms and returns. EDI is more suitable for larger employers.

Employers need software to use PAYE Online for Employers. To help you choose payroll software we have a payroll standard that software can be tested against. Software and services that meet the standard can display the Inland Revenue payroll standard logo, giving the assurance that the products and services meet our requirements.

Businesses and corporations

Corporation Tax Online allows companies, and agents on behalf of companies to file company tax returns over the Internet. The liabilities and payments service provides instant access to view corporation tax liabilities and payments online. You can also see the current balance owing to and from us, any interest and penalties that have been charged and any payments that have been made. If you have a group payment arrangement (GPA) in place with us, the nominated company can view a summary of the groups liabilities and payments.

Agents and tax practitioners

Agents and payroll bureaux can file a variety of forms and returns online on behalf of their clients.

Using PAYE Online for Agents you can opt to receive statutory notices and reminders on behalf of clients online. You can also view client information for self-assessment statements of account, and for corporate clients you can view corporation tax liabilities and payments. We also provide acknowledgements that your client's information has been received safely.

Software developers

We work closely with third party software developers to help them create products and services suitable for use with our online services. We provide free test data for software developers to use as part of their own internal testing routines and have a dedicated team to help them with the testing of software.

We have been at the forefront of helping drive the adoption of open XML standards. Our schemas and validation rules are published on our website, allowing software vendors and other third parties to develop innovative offerings for interacting with us and other government departments.

Paying electronically

To complete the package for customers who want to fully automate their tax affairs, we offer the facility to make electronic payments. These are more efficient and secure than payment by post and we accept many different electronic payment methods.

Customers can make payment over the Internet using their bank or building society Internet service or Billpay - payment by direct debit card over the Internet (self assessment, PAYE and stamp duty land tax payments only). Electronic funds transfer options such as BACS Direct Credit, CHAPS, Paymaster, Bank Giro and Alliance and Leicester Commercial Bank can also be used.

Looking ahead

As the shift from paper to online channels grows we will continue to focus on the needs of our customers and introduce services that are of real value. In addition we will enhance existing services as well as extending the scope of filing capabilities. Whatever your business, IR online services make life easier.