HMRC says the start date does not align with the reporting type

What it means

HMRC say the start date of this update does not match the quarter type they hold for this business. Standard quarters start on 6 April and calendar quarters on 1 April.

What to check

1. Which quarter type the business uses this tax year. Standard quarters run from 6 April, calendar quarters from 1 April. The choice is made in software before the first update of the year, and cannot be changed for the rest of that year once an update has been sent.
2. If the first update for this year was sent from other software, or by someone else, which dates it covered and which quarter type it was sent with.
3. The start date of the update you are sending. Every update covers the tax year so far, so each one starts on the same day as the first quarter.
4. If the quarter type was changed recently, wait a minute, refresh your obligations so they show the new dates, then send the update again.
5. If the dates match the quarter type and HMRC still refuse them, HMRC's records may disagree with each other. Contact HMRC, or ask us.

How we can help

Tell us roughly when you sent it and we can check the dates our records show went to HMRC. If it looks like a problem at HMRC's end, we can raise it with HMRC's software support team, but only with your consent to share your details with them.

What HMRC have said

HMRC ask software to wait 10 seconds after a change of quarter type before sending a quarterly update, and to read the obligations again first. FileThat does both. This is the nearest issue HMRC have published; it may not be the cause in every case.

See also