IPT06350 - Maintaining the IPT Register: Overseas Insurers: Unregistered overseas insurers

Although the removal of the tax representative requirement in 2008 made it easier for overseas insurers to deal with IPT, some may have continued to write taxable risks while failing to notify us of their intention to receive taxable premiums and are not, therefore, registered for the tax. This may be for a number of reasons, for example:

• the costs of complying with IPT registration and accounting requirements exceed the amount of tax due;
• they are unable or unwilling to comply with UK IPT requirements.

Whatever the reason, there can be no satisfactory excuse for failing to register when required to do so. Where you have established that an overseas insurer is writing or receiving taxable premiums and is not registered for IPT, you should contact the Insurance UoE or Financial Services Team for advice (see IPT08100). It is ultimately the insurer’s obligation to notify us of their intention to receive taxable premiums and it is HMRC’s obligation to register anyone who is receiving taxable premiums and to collect any tax that is due.