Expenses and benefits: credit, debit and charge cards

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1. Overview

As an employer covering the cost of credit, debit or charge card payments made by your employees, you have certain National Insurance and reporting obligations.

What鈥檚 included

What you have to pay and how you report this depends on how the card is used and what the employee purchases with it.

when buying certain items with a card, for example, fuel for a company car, parking spaces or incidental overnight expenses.

2. What's exempt

You do not have to report or pay anything to HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) if all the following apply:

  • you鈥檝e authorised your employee to make the purchase
  • your employee makes it clear during the purchase that they鈥檙e acting on behalf of your business
  • the supplier accepts that the purchase is on behalf of your business
  • your employee is not making (for example, fuel for a company car, parking spaces or incidental overnight expenses)

Salary sacrifice arrangement

You do have to report the charges if they are part of a salary sacrifice arrangement.

3. What to report and pay

If card charges are not exempt, you must report them to HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) and may have to deduct and pay National Insurance. Check what鈥檚 exempt.

This depends on how the credit or debit card is used, whether it鈥檚 clearly used on the employer鈥檚 behalf and what the employee purchases with it.

鈥楿sed on the employer鈥檚 behalf鈥� means that the employee makes it clear to the supplier that they are making the purchase for your business, and the supplier accepts this.

The card is used on the employer鈥檚 behalf but without permission

You must:

The card is used for business purchases but not clearly on behalf of the employer

You must report it on form P11D. You do not have to deduct or pay any tax or National Insurance.

The card is used for private purchases but not clearly on behalf of the employer

You must:

Salary sacrifice arrangements

If the charges are less than the amount of salary given up, report the salary amount instead.

These rules do not apply to arrangements made before 6 April 2017 - check when the rules will change.

4. Technical guidance

The following guides contain more detailed information: