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By submitting documents online, you can save money and operate more efficiently. If you have a computer and internet connection in place, there is no additional cost to online submissions compared to paper submissions.
What are online submissions?
Online submissions are quite simply the completion of online forms instead of completing paper forms and posting them off. Data that you submit online gets put into a central database and then processed, rather than being hand copied or scanned into systems.
By encouraging online submission, Government departments can reduce the paper workload on their staff and hopefully reduce costs, and occasionally this can be passed on to you the business owner.
The following can be submitted to HM Revenue and Customs online:
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Self Assessment forms
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PAYE forms and returns
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Corporation tax
Local authorities may also enable you to pay bills such as business rates online. Check with your local authority directly to see if they support such payments. You can find information on your local authority here.
Other government bodies that issue grants will often expect an online application. This follows the basic model as used to pay taxes or VAT. Check with the individual grant provider to see what support they can give you for online submissions.
Similarly, some utility providers such as gas, electricity and water may allow you to pay bills online and save a small percentage of the bill in the process.
Why should I bother with online submissions?
Submitting these documents online is another way of making your computer systems pay. In some cases you will receive payment for submitting them online. For example, if you had fewer than 50 employees in November 2004 and sent your 2005-06 Employer's Annual Return online, you would have received a £250 deduction from your PAYE (i.e. tax) bill.
Additionally, if you have an accountant or other third party working for you (called an agent in government speak), they can submit the filling for you online and claim the money on your behalf.
Are these sites safe to use?
An understandable concern is whether online submissions are safe to use.
These sites are generally safe and have very good security in place. Unfortunately, users are subject to attempts to get their business details by fraudsters and no website can ever be guaranteed to be 100% safe, 100% of the time.
Click here for information on how to spot scams and read about the current threats to government sites used for online submissions.
About the author
This article was first published as Online tax payment in the Business IT Guide, part of e-skills, the Sector Skills Council for IT and telecoms. The Business IT Guide has been developed in collaboration with industry experts to help small businesses find the right IT solutions for the issues that affect them.
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