Basic Payment Scheme: guidance

4. Useful reminders and tips

Look out for the bold text boxes in this guidance. In them, we have listed steps you can take to avoid some of the most common mistakes found which can lead to either delays to payment of claims or penalties. However, these are not exhaustive lists, just some of the more common examples.

The following steps may seem simple but if you overlook them they can have a serious effect on your payments:

• If you're submitting your Single Application Form on paper, don't forget to sign it. If you don't sign it, we will not be able to process it and you will not be paid.
• It is your responsibility to make sure your Single Application Form reaches us by 15 May. If you are posting it you must remember to put the correct amount of postage on your envelope. The envelope may need more stamps than the usual first or second-class delivery charge, especially if you are including other forms.
• We recommend that you use a form of postage that will provide proof of receipt of your Single Application Form by us. You should keep the proof of postage slip provided by the Post Office and make sure that it clearly identifies, beneath the stamp mark, that the item sent to us is your Single Application Form.
• Royal Mail may not deliver the application to us in time to meet the 15 May deadline if the postage is not correct. If this happens, we will use the date that it arrives at our office as the lodgement date of that application. This might mean late submission penalties will be applied to your claim if the date of receipt is after 15 May.
• Read these guidance notes carefully. If you are not sure, ask your local RPID area office or relevant professional adviser for guidance.
• If your business structure has changed (for example, it has merged or split or there has been a change in the partners) you need to contact us immediately as the change can affect your entitlements and your Single Application Form.