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Advisers who need an agent authorisation for self assessment to be effective before 31 January 2012 should apply online by 16 January or post form 64-8 no later than 27 December. Applications for self assessment registration should be posted by 20 December.
The central agent authorisation team (CAAT) estimates of turnaround times are based on current work plans and transaction-volume forecasts:
| Transaction | Form | Time in weeks |
| Online agent authorisation | n/a | Two |
| Paper agent authorisation where there is an existing record | 64-8 | Five |
| SA registrations (including those sent accompanying form 64-8) | SA1, CWF1, SA400, SA401, SA402 or online equivalents | Six |
In light of past criticism, HMRC say the times are not an estimate of how long the CAAT team takes to process an application. Instead, the figures provide an estimate of the end-to-end turnaround time: the weeks an adviser should expect after submitting a form for the authorisation or application to become effective.
Advisers are asked by the Revenue to avoid contacting the department if an application falls within the turnaround times, to avoid diverting resources away from processing applications.
