Company car drivers can report changes to HMRC online

An online trial has been launched by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), allowing company car drivers to make changes to car and fuel benefits that will affect their tax codes.

This means that Pay As You Earn (PAYE) customers who have company cars will be able to make any changes online to their company cars and will no longer have to wait for HMRC to update their tax code for them.

HMRC’s Chief Digital and Information Officer, Mark Dearnley, said:

“HMRC is rolling out customer-focused digital services that are so straightforward and convenient that everyone who can use them will choose to do so.

“Our digital services will deliver significant savings to HMRC’s customers in both the cost of phone calls and time spent dealing with the department. They will also mean that people can deal with the department when it is most convenient for them – rather than for us.

“This trial means that we can incorporate customer’s feedback to ensure we deliver a service they want.”

The new digital service is being used with GOV.UK Verify – the new way for people to prove who they are when using government digital services.

HMRC receives about 4.3 million calls a year from customers about their tax codes.

HMRC has recently completed a public consultation on voluntary pay-rolling of benefits-in-kind, including company car benefits. Where employers adopt payrolling of benefits, customers will not need to use the new digital service as they will be paying the right amount of tax in real time.

Notes for editors

1. The new digital service can be found at www.gov.uk/companycartax  
2. GOV.UK Verify will provide a single way for users to verify their identity when they need to, to use government services online. It replaces expensive, less effective face to face and postal      methods of identity proofing and verification. GOV.UK Verify offers a service that is faster and more secure for users, suitable for digital by default services and is re-usable across a range of services. Find out more at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/introducing-govuk-verify/introducing-govuk-verify     
3. The closed consultation ‘Employee benefits and expenses: real time collection of tax on benefits in kind and expenses through voluntary payrolling’ can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/employee-benefits-and-expenses-real-time-collection-of-tax-on-benefits-in-kind-and-expenses-through-voluntary-payrolling     
4. Follow HMRC Press Office on Twitter @HMRCpressoffice
5. HMRC’s Flickr channel www.flickr.com/hmrcgovuk