EDI filing for large employers
EDI (Electronic Data Interchange) is a way of transferring large amounts of information between two organisations using a dedicated connection or a secure network. This guide explains how EDI can be used for filing PAYE forms.
On this page:
- Who can use EDI filing?
- What can be filed using EDI?
- What software and telecoms facilities are needed?
- How to register and get started
- More useful links
Who can use EDI filing?
Any employer with the necessary communication links installed can use EDI to send and receive their PAYE forms. In practice, however, EDI is most suitable for the largest of employers - those with staff numbers running into the thousands and/or with high levels of staff turnover. For smaller employers, filing over the Internet is likely to be a more cost-effective option.
What can be filed using EDI?
| Form | Details |
|---|---|
| P11D | annual return for expenses payments and benefits |
| P11D(b) | annual return showing Class 1A National Insurance contributions for the year |
| P14 | end of year PAYE summary for each of your employees |
| P35 | employer annual return |
| P38A | employer supplementary return |
| P45 Part 1 | completed when an employee leaves your business |
| P45 Part 3 | details of a new employee's previous employment |
| P46 | for new employee without a P45 from previous job |
| P46 (Car) | when a car is provided for private use to an employee |
| PENNOT | completed when a new pension starts to be paid |
| WNU | works number update |
| CIS300 | CIS monthly return |
| CISREQ | a verification request for the Construction Industry Scheme |
| Form | Details |
|---|---|
| P6 | notice of the tax code to use for an employee |
| P6B | notice of the tax code to use for an employee |
| P9 | notice of the tax code to use for an employee |
| SL1 | notice that you should start making student loan deductions |
| SL2 | notice that you should stop making student loan deductions |
| CISREP | a verification reply for the Construction Industry Scheme |
What software and telecoms facilities are needed?
In order to use EDI, you must have EDI-compatible payroll software and one of three types of communications link.
Payroll software for EDI
Your payroll software must be able to output your PAYE data in either of the following formats:
- EDIFACT
- GFF (generic file format)
If your software doesn't output in these formats you'll need to update it or purchase additional software to translate your output into an EDI format.
If you use your own in-house software, you'll need to check that the technical specifications of the messages it generates are compatible with our Message Implementation Guidelines for EDI.
Communications links for EDI
EDI data cannot be sent over the Internet using email or other methods. Instead, you need to have one of the following three types of communications link:
- VAN (Value Added Network) - this is a secure third-party network service that you can use to transfer and store your data
- ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network) - to use ISDN you will also need to have Odette File Transfer Protocol software (using X25 protocols)
- X.400 - this is a non-Internet type of email standard; we support messages using the Cable and Wireless (CW) X.400 ADMD (administration domain) on the CW mail service
A list of quality-approved EDI software providers
PAYE Message Implementation Guidelines for EDI
How to register and get started
There is a two-stage registration process and a testing phase to complete before you can start filing to us using EDI.
Step 1: lodging your initial enquiry
There are three ways to provide us with the information we require. You can:
- telephone our Online Services Helpdesk on Tel 0845 605 5999 (open 8:00 am to 8:00 pm, seven days a week)
- download and complete an enquiry form (using the link below) and fax it to 01274 534 792
- download and complete an enquiry form and email it to helpdesk@ir-efile.gov.uk
Step 2: submitting your registration form
When we've received your enquiry form, an account manager from our Information Management Solutions (IMS) department will contact you to help you set up your connection link to us.
Once the link is operational and ready for testing, you will have to send us another form - EDI Registration Form 2. This can be found in Appendix C of our EDI Step by Step Guide, which you can download using the link below.
Among other things, Registration Form 2 asks you to tell us:
- which forms you will be using EDI to send and receive
- the data format you wish to use
- the date you'd like to test your EDI link
- which employer references you'll be testing and going live with
Step 3: testing that you can send and receive files
We will set up a test facility for you when we receive your Registration Form 2. The testing process involves checking that you can send and receive forms without problems using your EDI link.
For forms P14, P35, P6, P6b, P9, SL1 and SL2 you can go live once you have had one successful test
For all other forms the number of successful tests required depends on the kind of payroll software you are using:
- if you're using EDI software that we recognise, then one successful test is enough
- if you're using any other software, then we require four consecutive successful test for each form
The test files we use will usually be blank. However, you can ask your IMS account manager to include dummy data such as code change details. This will allow you to check that the data is being transferred without problems into your payroll software.
Step 4: going live
Once you have successfully completed the testing phase, we need at least a week's notice to start you on live EDI filing. The go live day is always set for a Monday (or the first working day of the week if the Monday is a Bank Holiday).
More useful links
Download an EDI enquiry form (RTF 48K)
Download the EDI Step by Step Guide, containing EDI Registration Form 2 (PDF 267K)
A list of quality-approved EDI software providers
More about PAYE filing using online methods
