ECH22021 - Settlement: Payroll Cleanse

The objectives of Payroll Cleanse are to

• update HM Revenue & Customs records in terms of new addresses and changes to employees personal details and
• identify possible cases for investigation by the Benefits Agency (Social Security Agency in Northern Ireland).

As well as advantages for the Government Departments involved there are advantages for

• the employer
  
  
• • because payroll details are corrected prior to the submission of End of Year returns. In turn this generates fewer computer exceptions which lead to enquiries from HM Revenue & Customs and the Benefits Agency

• the employee
  
  
• • because up to date information is recorded on NIRS2 which ensures an accurate contribution record and leads to prompt payment of any future benefits.

In order to perform a Payroll Cleanse, employers supply an extract of data from their payroll to the Customer Accounts Services (CAS) who will

• match the details to Departmental computer records and identify discrepancies
• contact individual employees to help update records
• update NIRS2
• notify the BA of any potential fraud cases
• advise the employer of the total number of
  
  
• • NI records checked
  • NI records in order
  • enquiries generated
  • correction to NINOs and addresses

• send results to the EC Team for filing
• destroy the data after six months, unless the employer requests its return.

CAS will not tell the employer about any potential fraud cases sent to the BA.

EC staff should

• make the employer aware of the CA89 which is available on the Employer Pack CD- ROM or the HMRC Internet Site