Salary advances: change to reporting rules
Where an employer makes part of a salary payment to an employee early, strict rules dictate when this must be included in the payroll real time information reporting. A recent change has relaxed the rules – what do you need to know?

Up until recently, the rules regarding reporting an advance on earnings required employers to submit an additional full payment submission (FPS) to record them on the day the advance was made. As this created an additional administrative burden, both for the employer and HMRC, as well as increasing the likelihood of Universal Credit errors, the requirement has been changed.
For pay periods falling after 6 April 2024, the advance can be reported on the FPS that covers the contractual payment date. This is the case even if the contractual payment date is in a later tax year. The change means the requirement for extra FPS submissions is removed.
It is important to note that this only applies to “payments on account of earnings”, rather than employer loans, e.g. for season tickets – even though these may be repaid via a deduction of salary each pay period.
Related Topics
-
VAT-saving opportunity with changes to the CGS?
The government has announced that it will increase the capital goods scheme (CGS) threshold for capital expenditure on land and buildings from its current level of £250,000. What will the new threshold be, and how can you take advantage?
-
Delay salary to save tax
As a company owner manager, you decide when to take income from your business. If that’s your only source of income, tax planning is relatively simple but it’s trickier if you have other sources. What’s the best strategy to improve tax efficiency?
-
Loan written off: are you in HMRC’s crosshairs?
HMRC is writing to directors that took a loan from their company that was later written off or released. What should you do if you receive a letter?