HMRC are now starting to issue the first penalties under the new regime which was introduced for tax year 2010/11.<br/><br/>If you have monthly PAYE and NIC liabilities these must be paid by the 19th of each month or the 22nd if paid electronically.

If only one PAYE amount is paid late in a particular tax year then no penalty will be charged. However, after that, penalties start to be charged automatically as follows:

• If payments are late between two and four times in a tax year, the penalty charge is 1%
• If payments are late between five and seven times in a tax year, the penalty charge is 2%
• If payments are late between eight and ten times in a tax year, the penalty charge is 3%
• If payments are late eleven or more times in a tax year, the penalty charge is 4%

We would encourage everyone to make the payments online if possible as it means that the payments can be traced and cannot be disputed by HMRC