A facility to pre-populate the 2010 Form 11 with data from the 2009 Form was included in a Revenue On-Line Service (ROS) release on the 25 March 2011.

This facility is available for both the ROS on-line and ROS off-line applications.

When opening a 2010 Form 11 in ROS On-Line, the user will be given the opportunity to open the form pre-populated with 2009 data. The user can choose either to accept the offer of the pre-populated form or to refuse it. If the pre-population option is refused a blank Form 11 is presented as before.

A facility will be provided to both customers and agents to download a pre-populated form via the ROS My Services and Client Services Screens. Once downloaded, these forms can be opened via the ROS Off-Line application.

The pre-populated data is taken primarily from the 2009 Form 11, (although see below with regard to 2010 P35 data). If there is no 2009 Form 11 filed, the facility to pre-populate the 2010 Form 11 will not be available. The pre-populated figures are those held on record at the time the pre-populated form is opened/downloaded from ROS; that is they will contain any amendments made after the original return was filed. This facility is available where the 2009 return was filed either as a paper return or as a ROS return. The majority of fields in the Form 11 will be pre-populated, although some fields, such as the Capital Gains Tax panels, will not.

Where there was a change in marital status in 2009 it will not be possible to pre-populate a 2010 Form 11. P35 details (pay, tax, income levy) for the year 2010 will be presented in a separate table at the start of the PAYE/BIK/Pensions screen. The form will include all live employments, leaving the pay and tax details blank where a P35 hasn't been filed at the time the pre-populated form is downloaded from Revenue. This eliminates the need for agents/customers to contact Revenue Districts to get Pay/Tax/Income Levy details when completing Forms 11. If the marital status held on the PAYE file for 2010 differs to that on the 2009 Form 11, it will not be possible to pre-populate the return with the pay and tax details.

Where a pre-populated form is opened, any screen with a pre-populated value will appear with a yellow tick (as opposed to the normal white tick) on the left hand navigation panel. A user must visit each pre-populated panel before they can use the “Calculate”, “Print-View”, or “Sign & Submit” buttons, or attempt to save a ROS Off-line return.

In summary:

• Pre-population of the Form 11 2010 is optional.
• It is available both as an On-line facility and an Off-line facility.
• The first Income Tax return form that can be pre-populated is the Form 11 2010 (pre-populated with 2009 data). This is available from 25/03/2011.
• The first Corporation Tax return form that can be pre-populated is the Form CT1 for accounting periods ending on or after 01/01/2011 (pre-populated with data from CT1 for previous accounting period). This will be available from 13/05/2011.
• The previous year must have been assessed before a pre-populated form can be downloaded.
• Not all fields will be pre-populated.
• Actual PAYE/Tax/Income Levy figures populated from P35 records where the P35 has been filed. No further need to contact Revenue Districts to get this information.
• Within the return form, screens with a pre-populated entry will be identified with a yellow tick on the navigation panel.
• A user must open all pre-populated screens before form can be submitted.
• Pre-populated entries will not appear in a different colour/font.

A similar facility to pre-populate the Corporation Tax return – Form CT1-will available when the ROS Form CT1 for accounting periods ending in 2011 becomes available; this is scheduled for release in mid May 2011.

Source: Revenue Commissioners. www.revenue.ie. Copyright Acknowledged.