Mr X Off The Payroll

The revenue and customs service has issued the UK's employers with a warning after nearly 600 PAYE submissions listed employees as Mr X.

HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) said it was urging employers to get their PAYE paperwork in order, noting it had also received more than 500 returns from businesses incorrectly claiming to employ “A N Other” in 2010.

HMRC added that it had encountered 128 staff entered as Mr, Ms or Mrs “Dummy”; 572 people whose surnames only included the letter X, ranging from Mr X to Mrs XXXXXX;

75 staff with the surname “Casual”, 11 “Cleaners”, nine “Workers” and six “Students”; 824 employees with the surname “Unknown” and 40 people were apparently 200 years old or more.

Jim Harra, HMRC’s Director of Customer Operations, said: “Most employers get their PAYE returns right. The few who don’t can cause problems for their employees, for example, incorrect deductions of tax. Around 80 per cent of errors in employee data are due to an incorrect name, date of birth or national insurance number – straightforward information that can be collected and checked quite easily.

“So, whether you are employing ‘Mr or Mrs J Smith’ – or even ‘Mr or Mrs A N Other’, please use the full and official name on your PAYE paperwork. First names are very important, especially for common surnames."

HMRC said that inaccurate PAYE data can cause problems for the employee, with incorrect amounts being deducted from their pay. It can also use up valuable employer and HMRC time and money putting the error right.

“We really want employers to check that they are sending us the right details for all their employees, to make life easier for them, HMRC and their employees,” Mr Harra added.

(DW)