The group will be made up of employer and payroll representative bodies, software developers, employers (small and large) and payroll bureau, and will meet four times a year. It will be co-chaired with the Chartered Institute of Payroll Professionals (CIPP).

The EPG will allow HMRC, and other government departments, to engage with the employment and payroll community about PAYE operational issues, such as real time information (RTI) reporting.

The EPG will:  

• allow HMRC to tell stakeholders about major policy and process changes. There will also be consultation on operational detail. For example, stakeholders will get the chance to review user guidance earlier;
• have regular updates from other parts of government and HMRC;  
• concentrate on critical operational issues; and
• have a structured follow-up process so that issues can be escalated into HMRC more quickly.

HMRC director general for personal tax, Ruth Owen, said: ‘Engaging with the right stakeholders, at the right time, can be a huge benefit in making sure our processes are as customer-friendly as possible.

‘EPG came about as a result of a wide review of stakeholder engagement and is intended to be HMRC’s principal consultation forum for employers and their intermediaries. It will focus on high-level operational policy and process issues. It will also provide a forum through which members can raise and discuss issues or problems in administering payroll obligations or in relation to employment tax issues more generally.’

The first EPG will replace three existing groups: the Employment Consultation Forum (ECF), the Payroll Consultation Panel (PCP) and the Expenses and Benefits Group. The Taxpayer Data Standards Forum (TDSF) will continue to operate focusing on more targeted work.

The list of participants include:

• AAT
• ACCA
• Association of International Accountants
• Association of Taxation Technicians Business Application Software Developers
• Association British Computer Society
• CIOT
• CBI
• Federation Small Business
• Institute of Directors
• Chartered Institute of Payroll Professionals
• International Association of Book-keepers
• Payroll Alliance
• Private Sector Payroll Group
• The Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales
• The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland
• Payroll Bureaux representing employers  of different sizes
• Individual employers including representatives of  VCS and charity sectors