---
title: "What is rti submission?"
description: "Rti Submission explained in plain English: definition, how it works, an example, and how it appears in QuickBooks and Xero."
url: https://ledgerbpo.com/glossary/rti-submission/
updated: 2026-09-11
publisher: LedgerBPO (SS Support Network LLC)
language: en-US
---

# What is rti submission?

Glossary

An RTI submission is the Full Payment Submission a UK employer sends to HMRC on or before each payday, reporting pay, deductions and tax for that period under HMRC's Real Time Information system, rather than waiting until the end of the tax year.

Updated September 2026

## How rti submission works

Each time a UK employer runs payroll, it must report employee pay, tax and National Insurance details to HMRC on or before the payday itself, rather than waiting until the end of the tax year to summarise the whole twelve months at once in a single filing. This Full Payment Submission keeps HMRC's record of each employee's tax position up to date pay period by pay period, without any lag between them.

If something changes after the submission, such as an employee leaving or a correction to pay already reported earlier, the employer sends further RTI submissions to keep records accurate going forward from that point. Missing the payday deadline or reporting incorrect figures can trigger HMRC penalties, so the payroll run and the RTI submission need to happen together, not as two separate disconnected steps.

## Example

A UK employer pays its staff monthly on the 28th of each month without fail. On payday, its payroll software calculates pay and deductions for all nine employees and automatically sends a Full Payment Submission to HMRC that same day, showing gross pay, tax and National Insurance withheld for each employee individually. Because the submission goes in on or before payday, the employer meets its RTI obligation without a separate filing step afterward.

## RTI Submission in QuickBooks Online vs Xero

QuickBooks Online Payroll submits the Full Payment Submission to HMRC automatically each time a pay run is finalised, with no separate export step required. Xero Payroll also files RTI submissions directly to HMRC on payday as part of processing the pay run, keeping the two steps combined into a single action.

## Common mistakes

- A Full Payment Submission is sent after payday instead of on or before it, missing the RTI deadline and risking an HMRC late filing penalty.
- An employee leaving or a pay correction is not reported through a further RTI submission, leaving HMRC's record of that employee out of date.
- Payroll is finalised without double-checking tax and National Insurance figures, so incorrect amounts are submitted to HMRC and need a later correction.

## Why it matters

RTI submissions keep HMRC's record of each employee's pay and tax current every payday, so a late or incorrect submission creates problems that are harder to unwind than an old annual filing. For UK employers, missing the payday deadline risks penalties, while inaccurate figures can affect an employee's own tax position. Reliable RTI submissions keep payroll compliant and protect the business from HMRC penalties tied directly to each pay run.

## Related terms

- [CIS Deduction](https://ledgerbpo.com/glossary/cis-deduction/)
- [Making Tax Digital](https://ledgerbpo.com/glossary/making-tax-digital/)
- [Payroll Liabilities](https://ledgerbpo.com/glossary/payroll-liabilities/)
- [All terms](https://ledgerbpo.com/glossary/)

## How LedgerBPO handles rti submission

We process payroll and confirm the RTI Full Payment Submission goes to HMRC on or before each payday, then reconcile payroll liabilities against the submission so nothing is missed or misreported between one pay run and the next.

[CIS deductions and RTI data prepared every month](https://ledgerbpo.com/uk/services/cis-payroll/)

Next step

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Source: https://ledgerbpo.com/glossary/rti-submission/ · Contact: https://ledgerbpo.com/contact/ · Full site map for agents: https://ledgerbpo.com/llms.txt