In April 2015, following a long consultation process, the HMRC decided to implement Intermediary Reporting. This type of reporting needs to be completed on a quarterly basis by recruitment agencies placing contractors or temporary workers.  Agencies who have submitted a previous intermediary report but no longer provide contract or temporary staff or if no payments have been made to self-employed/sole traders, limited or umbrella companies within the previous quarter are still required to submit a nil return.

However, nearly 4 years since the Intermediary Reporting came into effect, TBOS is still engaging with existing recruitment agencies who have not submitted their intermediary reporting before.  Their previous accountants have failed to mention this, with the reporting never completed, leaving them completely unaware that this a requirement issued by the HMRC.

Below are some  frequently asked questions we receive from agency directors, which will hopefully highlight this importance of this requirement for your recruitment business.

WHAT IS INTERMEDIARY REPORTING?

HMRC realised that following the implementation of RTI (Real Time Information) on PAYE payrolls, they could collect the information on salaries and taxes on temporary and contractors who were paid through an agency payroll but not the information on payments to self-employed/sole traders, limited or umbrella companies. HMRC were also concerned about some agencies declaring false self-employment or paying to offshore companies.  In order to combat this, they put into place that recruitment agencies needed to provide reporting each quarter for details of payments made to contractors who were not on the PAYE payroll which would tie back to the RTI reporting and personal tax returns when the candidates paid their taxes.

WHAT INFORMATION IS REQUIRED TO BE REPORTED ON?

The reporting has to be submitted based on a template which can be found on the HMRC website and needs to include:-

• • Workers Name, Date of Birth, Gender, National Insurance Number, Address including Postcode
  • What third party method the candidate used to be paid (i.e. self-employed/sole trader, limited or umbrella company)
  • Third Party details (Company Name and Registration Number
  • Amount paid during period

HOW OFTEN DO YOU SUBMIT THIS REPORTING?

The Intermediary Reporting needs to be submitted online through the HMRC Government Gateway on a quarterly basis and is due 30 days after the reporting periods (6^th April to 5^th July, 6^th July to 5^th October, 6^th October to 5^th January, 6^th January to 5^th April).

WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR SUBMITTING THIS REPORTING?

It is the responsibility of the directors of the recruitment agency to submit the returns on time and correctly, although often the data will be produced by the accounts department, accountants or the pay-and-bill provider. Even if the agency does not provide contract or temporary staff or if there have been no payments made to self-employed/sole traders, limited or umbrella companies within that period, a nil return still needs to be submitted.

WHAT ARE THE FINES FOR NOT SUBMITTING INTERMEDIARY REPORTING?

HMRC are issuing fines to agencies who fail to submit the reporting within the deadlines or with incorrect information. The penalty amounts are based on the number of offences within a 12-month period, with the 1^st offense being £250, 2^nd offense being £500 and 3^rd and later offences being £1,000.  If the agency fails consistently to submit the reporting on time or correctly then HMRC can impose a fine of £600 for every day the reporting is late.

HOW TBOS CAN HELP

TBOS manages the full back office and accounting services for many recruitment agencies with a small part of this service attributed to compiling and submitting quarterly Intermediary reports on their behalf.  Our specialist team ensures each agency is paying their contractors correctly through their limited company or umbrella company, with necessary recommendations made - should any contractor want to be paid through a non-viable method.  Additionally, TBOS submits all of the nil returns on behalf of our perm-only agencies, this ensures they remain compliant with all Intermediary Reporting regulations.

For more information on how TBOS can help manage your back office and accounting needs, including Intermediary Reporting, please contact our office on 0345 504 6333