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HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) has launched a new online video to help employers reduce the problems caused by inaccurate employee data.

Every year, HMRC receives thousands of employer returns, containing the details of millions of employees, including names, dates of birth and National Insurance numbers. While the vast majority of the employee data is correct, in some cases dummy, incomplete or incorrect information is included.

For example, a recent study of employer returns found that 128 staff were entered as Mr, Ms or Mrs Dummy, while 824 employees had the surname “Unknown”.

Another 40 employees, according to their dates of birth, were aged over 200. Many other employees had their forenames and surnames swapped around, or their first names replaced by initials, which can make it more difficult for HMRC to identify the individuals.

The short YouTube video discusses how inaccurate employer returns can affect employees, employers and HMRC, and offers basic advice on how employers can help reduce errors.

Jim Harra, HMRC’s Director of Customer Operations, said:

“It’s really important that employers get their employees’ information right, so that HMRC can match it to the right tax records. Otherwise, it can lead to more contact from staff, trying to sort out their tax, and from HMRC, trying to sort out the data issues.

So, if you’ve got a spare few minutes, watch the video and see what you can do to help your organisation get things right, for you, your employees and HMRC.”

The video can be viewed on the YouTube website at http://bit.ly/xVazur

For more information on improving payroll data go to Improving Your Payroll Data