Taxes Consolidation Act 1997 section 1068

Failure to act within required time

Section 1068 provides that a person is not treated as having failed to meet a statutory time limit where Revenue granted an extension or where the person had a reasonable excuse and acted without unreasonable delay once that excuse ended.

• Applies to penalty provisions, determination and recovery of penalties, penalties for false returns, and Revenue information and audit powers.
• A person who completes a required action within an extended time allowed by Revenue is deemed not to have failed to meet the original deadline.
• A person with a reasonable excuse for missing a deadline is not treated as having failed, provided the action is completed without unreasonable delay after the excuse ceases.
• The effect is to prevent penalty proceedings being taken where a taxpayer acted within an extension or had a genuine reason for the delay.