This article covers common errors when submitting a Full Payment Submission (FPS) to HMRC via COINS ERP+. For a guide to creating and submitting an FPS, see Full Payment Submission (FPS).
đNote: FPS status errors, including Timed Out and Unknown, are most commonly caused by HMRC processing delays, not a COINS ERP+ fault. COINS polls HMRC for a response for approximately one hour.
If HMRC has not responded within that time, COINS stops polling and the submission status remains as Timed Out. The submission may have been received and processed by HMRC despite this status.
FPS shows status: Timed Out
A Timed Out status means COINS ERP+ submitted the FPS to HMRC but did not receive a response within the polling window (approximately one hour). This is caused by slow processing on HMRC's side, not a COINS ERP+ error.
Check whether HMRC received the submission
Log in to your HMRC PAYE Online account.
Check the submissions received for the relevant PAYE scheme and period.
If HMRC shows the FPS as received, you do not need to resubmit. The submission was successful despite the Timed Out status in COINS ERP+.
If HMRC shows no record of the FPS for that period, proceed to the resubmission steps below.
Resubmit an FPS after a timeout
Confirm HMRC did not receive the original submission before resubmitting â resubmitting a duplicate FPS can cause discrepancies in HMRC's records.
In COINS ERP+, go to Payroll, then the relevant payroll frequency, then HMRC Workbench.
Locate the FPS with Timed Out status.
Select the FPS and use the Resend option to resubmit it.
Monitor the status â if it moves to Submitting and then times out again, this indicates HMRC is experiencing delays. Try again later.
â ď¸Important: While a previous FPS shows Timed Out or Unknown status, other FPS submissions for the same PAYE scheme may be blocked. Resolve or confirm the status of the original submission before attempting to submit a new one for the same scheme.
FPS shows status: Unknown
An Unknown status typically means COINS ERP+ submitted the FPS but received an error response from HMRC that could not be matched to a known status code. This may also appear when a prior submission was not cleared before the next period's FPS was attempted.
Check your HMRC PAYE Online account to confirm the submission status with HMRC directly.
If HMRC shows the FPS as received and processed, the COINS ERP+ status can be treated as a display issue â the submission was successful.
If HMRC shows the FPS as not received or rejected, review the error detail in COINS ERP+ (HMRC Workbench, RTI tab) for the specific rejection reason.
Check whether a prior FPS for the same scheme has an unresolved status â an FPS with Unknown or Timed Out status can block new submissions for the same PAYE scheme. Resolve the prior submission first.
FPS submission prerequisites
If an FPS fails to submit or shows an error before it reaches HMRC, confirm the following prerequisites are met:
All employees included in the FPS must have a status of PAID in COINS ERP+. An FPS cannot be submitted if any included employee is not yet marked as PAID.
There must be no unresolved FPS for the same PAYE scheme from a prior period. A Timed Out or Unknown status on a prior FPS blocks new submissions for the same scheme.
If submitting in a test or pre-live environment, set the Return Type to Test to prevent the submission from being recorded as a live submission. See Submit a non-live FPS in a test or pre-live environment for full steps.
If employees have been renumbered as required by HMRC (for example, following a hard stop rejection), the FPS must be resubmitted after the renumbering is complete.
FPS frozen on Submitting with no XML generated
If an FPS remains stuck in Submitting status and no XML has been generated, work through the following checks:
Confirm all employees on the FPS are in PAID status â the XML will not generate if any employee is not yet PAID.
Check whether a prior FPS for the same scheme is still in Submitting or Timed Out status â clear or confirm this before proceeding.
Check the HMRC Workbench for any validation errors or warnings against the FPS record.
If the FPS has been stuck in Submitting for more than 30 minutes with no XML and no error, raise a support ticket.
Raise a support ticket
Raise a support ticket if:
An FPS repeatedly times out and HMRC has confirmed they are not receiving the submissions.
An FPS with Unknown status cannot be resolved using the steps above.
An FPS remains stuck in Submitting for more than 30 minutes with no XML generated and no validation error shown.
A prior FPS is blocking new submissions and cannot be moved from its current status.
Include the PAYE scheme reference, the payroll frequency, the FPS reference number, the current status, and whether HMRC's PAYE Online account shows the submission as received.