This article is going to commence with a succinct explanation of what the P9X form actually is and what it contains. It will then go on to cover the four main reasons why the P9X form is helpful for employers and will end with a short conclusion.
What Is The P9X Form?
The P9X is a form produced by HMRC before the start of a new tax year and the 2016/17 version is available from this link. It tells employers which PAYE tax codes they need to change, and how to change them, as well as which tax codes to carry forward to the new tax year. The purpose of the P9X form is to inform employers of general changes, not individual changes. Details of individual changes are usually provided via the P9(T) form. The tax codes that need to be changed for 2016/17 include tax code that have a suffix of “L”, “M” or “N”. Further information about tax codes can be found by following this link.
The current (6th April 2016) P9X form is broken down into these sections; introduction, get ready for the new tax year starting 6th April, what you need to do before the 6th April, payroll software users, manual payroll, basic PAYE tools, helplines. The full form can be viewed by following this link.
What Is The Benefit Of The P9X Form?
There are several clear benefits of the P9X form which will be outlined below.
The first big benefit is that it provides a succinct, easy to understand outline of what needs to be changed as well as what needs to stay the same which greatly increases the chances of employers changing the necessary things, accurately, and in the required time.
The second benefit of the form is that it provides the employer with clear information regarding the different communication channels they can use to seek further help and support with regards to PAYE tax code changes. The form provides them with specific contact details, so they spend less time trying to find the contact details for the most relevant department to talk to.
The third benefit of the P9X form is that it contains two distinct sections with specific information for employers that use payroll software as well as those that conduct payroll manually – this breakdown further ensures that employers are making the correct changes in the right way.
The forth benefit of the P9X form is that it provides some clear prompts and alerts for things the employer may not have thought of and may not have considered. This can go a long way in reducing mistakes and errors later down the line.