Real Time Information (RTI) via
Electronic Data Interchange (EDI)
How to test
Background
NVREP notifications
The Real Time Information service for PAYE includes a facility for verifying employee National Insurance numbers (NINO) electronically. NINO verifications may be provided by the live service either when sought by a specific NINO
Verification Request (NVREQ), or in response to information provided in the Employer Alignment Summary (EAS) or a Full Payment Submission (FPS).
For the EDI channel, a basic test process has been devised to enable Trading Partners to test these NINO Verification Reply (NVREP) messages. The EDI test service will not automatically produce an NVREP in response to an NVREQ, EAS or FPS: the instructions below show how you can obtain a test NVREP.
GEN notifications
In February 2013, this facility was extended to provide for the introduction of Generic Notifications (GENs).
P6, P6B, P9 and SL notifications
In September 2014, this guidance was further extended to cater for coding notices P6, P6B and P9 and student loan notices SL1 and SL2.
The test service
This EDI test process makes use of your existing EDI link e.g. VAN or AS2 link. If you do not have an existing communication link, contact your EDI account manager.
Software developers only: In order to access the test service, EDI software
developers must obtain a vendor ID from the SDS Team. Software developers who do not have a PAYE reference will be given a pseudo PAYE reference to enable them to submit and receive their test files.
The Outgoing (from HMRC) test messages contain static data. Unlike the Live service, Outgoing test messages are unconnected with test submissions you send to HMRC. For example, a test NVREP will not correspond – in terms of either content or timing – with any test NVREQ submitted, nor will test GEN messages correspond with submitted test FPSs, EPSs, etc. They do, however, enable you to test your software’s ability to receive and process these notifications.
How to test
EDI Trading Partners and software developers can obtain examples of the Outgoing messages as follows. Templates have been prepared which, with minor alterations, you can send to our test service by email. These consist of the following:
one NVREP NVR template for an NVREP in reply to a NINO Verification Request,
one NVREP NOT template for a notification arising from EAS/FPS submission,
four GEN templates to test a number of Generic Notifications, one P6 coding notification template,
one P6B coding notification (budget) template, one P9 annual coding notification template, one SL1 student loan start notice template, and one SL2 student loan stop notice template.
The emailed template will then be transformed to the correct file format (GFF or EDIFACT) and the resulting test file will be transmitted to your receiver.
Important – please note:
1. You must not make any changes to the template except as directed in the step-by-step instructions below.
2. If you are a Trading Partner who has already ‘gone live’ with the message you are testing, you should use a ‘pseudo reference’ as appropriate. If you need to obtain a pseudo ref, please contact your Account Manager at HMRC
Step-by-step test instructions To prepare and send the templates:
1. Follow the link to the ZIP file containing outgoing test templates, published alongside this guidance.
2. Save the ZIP file.
3. Extract the ZIP file to your chosen location.
4. Open the appropriate template for the Form Type of the notification.
Save the selected template to your chosen location. You can rename it as you
wish.
If testing NVREP Notifications, skip to step 6.
string XXXXXXXXXOXXXXXXXXXOXXXXXXXXXOXXXXX to your own PAYE reference. If you have been allocated a ‘pseudo’ reference, use this.
Important – when doing this, take care to preserve the structure of the
header.
a) Start the reference in the same position where the above string commences (character 57 of the header),
b) replace the slash ‘/’ with a space, and
c) overtype any remaining characters with spaces to maintain the length at 35 characters.
For example, if your reference is 001/AB12345, then type as 001 AB12345
Go to step 8.
NVREP notifications only
6. Open your template in a text editing application such as Notepad. In the 4 star header at the top of the template, commencing ****, change the 35-character string XXXXXXXXXOXXXXXXXXXOXXXXXXXXXOXXXXX to your own receiver ID as given in your original set-up.
Important – when doing this, take care to preserve the structure of the
header.
a) Start the receiver ID in the same position where the above string commences (character 57 of the header),
b) type it exactly as given in your original set-up, and
c) overtype any remaining characters with spaces to maintain the length at 35 characters.
Software developers only: if you do not have an EDI set-up, change this
string to your pseudo reference instead, following the guidance at step 5. 7. Change the XXX in
<Meta-Data><TradingPartnerId>XXX</TradingPartnerId></Meta-Data>
Again, this should be changed to your receiver ID.
Important – in this part of the template, you must replace the XXX
with your own receiver ID exactly as given in your original set-up, without any ‘trailing spaces’.
Continue from step 8. 8. Save the template.
9. Create a copy of this template. It is this copy which you will rename and send as an email attachment.
10. Navigate to the ‘copy’ of the template and rename the copy EPIDFILE, with no file extension: that is, without the dot and final three letters. You may receive a prompt about the name chosen. In this case, select whichever option will allow you to rename the file in this way.
11. Open a new email, attach this EPIDFILE and send to
[email protected]. The subject of the email must be EPIDFILE. Files can only be sent one at a time. The email should look similar to the screenshot below.
There must be no text in the body of the email. For example, be sure to strip out any sign-off, company logos etc. Any such text or other entries in the email body may cause the email to fail, and you may not receive an error report.
12. If there are any problems with your template an error report may be produced in due course. This report would be emailed to the email address(es) you registered with us in your original set-up. If necessary, correct any errors and repeat this process from step 4.
13. If there are no errors, the test file should shortly be available to pick up at your receiver.
Document History
Version Date Changes
1.0 05/03/2012 Baselined
2.0 15/06/2012 New section added: “How to test”, giving instructions for self-service.
Email address for completed templates changed 2.1 12/02/2013 Document title and content revised to include GEN
messages
2.2 20/11/2013 Updated to reflect change to GEN message testing process
3.0 09/09/2014 Document title and content revised to incorporate coding notices and SL forms.
Changes to step-by-step instructions, to reflect new process of sending template to SDSTeam.
3.1 01/06/2015 Changes to step-by-step instructions, to reflect revised process of sending template direct to test service email address.
