Motor tax lapsed

cerastes

Ok, the wife tells me she needs to tax her car, ok?

Given the date, I assumed it was for the end of the month, but it was for a few days ago.

Checking the rates for her car it says the arrears are per month, Im assuming this will have to be payed if its overdue by a day or almost the entire month?

Im not one for driving untaxed, but as we are going to tax the car anyway, doesnt it make sense to drive it on, pay for the month when the month is up and then tax the car for the 3 months.

I appreciate not being rounded on having never cheated the system about driving the cars untaxed.

I can see the amount would be an incentive to not get into arrears, but once you are, the charge maybe should be broken up as then the incentive is to not tax it till the minimum arrears period is almost up, or that or it should be pro rata'd in weekly/fortnightly arrears.
Which I know its not, having payed the arrears after forgetting about taxing my own by just passing midnight in the process once.

colm_mcm

When did the tax expire?

thenightrider

If the tax is out from the end of April then you can pay the tax online now and no arrears are due. That way you have payed the tax and if you got pulled over this weekend you can tell them it is in the post. If its only out a few days you should be ok but you might as well get it as soon as possible as you are not going to save anything by waiting.

corktina

yep you can still pay for May onwards up to the end of May (3//6/12 months). After that you'd be paying one months arrears (may)plus 3/6/12 months tax from June forward

There is no advantage in waiting, other than maybe a tiny amount given the way the arrears are calculated.

Bear in mind not having tax and not displaying tax are both offences.

cerastes

colm_mcm wrote: »

When did the tax expire?

end of april few days ago

I thought since the new system, the months grace was gone.

Guy:Incognito

cerastes wrote: »

end of april few days ago

I thought since the new system, the months grace was gone.

What months grace?
You always had to pay in full months and from when the last disc expired.

cadaliac

cerastes wrote: »

end of april few days ago

I thought since the new system, the months grace was gone.

No, I often pay within a late month online. i.e. if it expires in April, I would pay on the 21st (next payday) May (for May/June/July) and the disk arrives in the post without penalties. You do run the risk of driving without tax and non display of tax which as Corktina mentions are both offences.

cerastes

Guy:Incognito wrote: »

What months grace?
You always had to pay in full months and from when the last disc expired.

I mean the ability to pay up to a month after the tax was still due without incurring an arrear, which as I can now confirm is still the case, just taxed it, was expecting under the new system, that if you went a day over or even a few minutes over that you'd incur arrears.

I did incur arrears after allowing it go passed midnight previously, I must have gone the month also though, I cant recal if the new system was in place though.

Gumbo

cerastes wrote: »

I mean the ability to pay up to a month after the tax was still due without incurring an arrear, which as I can now confirm is the case, just taxed it, was expecting under the new system, that if you went a day over or even a few minutes over that you'd incur arrears.

I did incur arrears after allowing it go passed midnight previously, I must have gone the month also though, I cant recal if the new system was in place though.

You must of went one month and one day over. It's the same system now as it always was when renewing.

corktina

cerastes wrote: »

end of april few days ago

I thought since the new system, the months grace was gone.

there is not and never was a months grace. It's an absolute offence to have an untaxed car on the road, as it is to have a taxed car with no disc displayed

corktina

corktina wrote: »

there is not and never was a months grace. It's an absolute offence to have an untaxed car on the road, as it is to have a taxed car with no disc displayed

I always believed that you were not prosecuted if it was up to 10 working days (14 days) out of date. Never heard of a months grace!

mad m

Slightly OT. Got a new car recently, garage got wife's name wrong on form.Still waiting on something in post from them with right name to tax car. Anyone know how long these things take. Car was registered end of March, got car 11th April.

cadaliac

corktina wrote: »

there is not and never was a months grace. It's an absolute offence to have an untaxed car on the road, as it is to have a taxed car with no disc displayed

As against what other type of offence? :pac:

cerastes

corktina wrote: »

there is not and never was a months grace. It's an absolute offence to have an untaxed car on the road, as it is to have a taxed car with no disc displayed

I understand that,
I meant the ability to pay up to a month after the tax disc was expired without incurring penalty, I think my arrears occured prior to the new system as I thought the ability to pay in the following month was no longer in place.

I thought the car had to be SORN'd or arrears would be in place with the current system immediately, in effect my wife neglected to notice her tax was out and I was wondering if arrears would need to be payed, If there was no difference in arrears between now and the end of the month it just makes it seem there's very little incentive for someone to pay the arrears now and instead wait till the end of the month as they will in effect have a months less tax if they do the right thing and do it now, e.g. as in this case when they let it expire a few days.

I prefer not to let my wife run the gauntlet anyway.
anyway its taxed now, no arrears were requested.

edit, I suggest have it stricken from the record what I said about a months grace,

I meant the ability to pay in the following month without incurring arrears, not that Im suggesting you can legally drive the car on the roads. I thought that was no longer possible and that arrears would incur immediately the day after the disc expired.

djimi

I dont see how you are saving anything by waiting? Whether you pay the tax now or at the end of May you still end up paying the same amount for the same amount of cover (April & May-July)?

cerastes

djimi wrote: »

I dont see how you are saving anything by waiting? Whether you pay the tax now or at the end of May you still end up paying the same amount for the same amount of cover (April & May-July)?

yes, I was thinking it'd be like the tax restarting in june, but it wouldnt.