{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/finance-act-2008/schedule-36/paragraph-45",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/finance-act-2008/schedule-36/paragraph-45.json",
  "legislation": "ukpga/2008/9",
  "legislation_title": "Finance Act 2008",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/finance-act-2008",
  "path": "schedule/36/paragraph/45",
  "kind": "paragraph",
  "number": "45",
  "heading": null,
  "text": "(1) Liability to a penalty under paragraph 39 or 40 does not arise if the person satisfies HMRC or (on an appeal notified to the tribunal) the tribunal that there is a reasonable excuse for the failure or the obstruction of an officer of Revenue and Customs.\n(2) For the purposes of this paragraph—\n(a) an insufficiency of funds is not a reasonable excuse unless attributable to events outside the person's control,\n(b) where the person relies on any other person to do anything, that is not a reasonable excuse unless the first person took reasonable care to avoid the failure or obstruction, and\n(c) where the person had a reasonable excuse for the failure or obstruction but the excuse has ceased, the person is to be treated as having continued to have the excuse if the failure is remedied, or the obstruction stops, without unreasonable delay after the excuse ceased.",
  "extent": "E+W+S+N.I.",
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F1",
      "text": "Words in Sch. 36 para. 45(1) substituted (1.4.2009) by The Transfer of Tribunal Functions and Revenue and Customs Appeals Order 2009 (S.I. 2009/56), art. 1(2), Sch. 1 para. 471(12)"
    },
    {
      "type": "C",
      "label": "C1",
      "text": "Sch. 36 paras. 44-49 applied (with modifications) (21.7.2009) by Finance Act 2009 (c. 10), Sch. 49 para. 5(3) (with Sch. 49 para. 1)"
    },
    {
      "type": "C",
      "label": "C2",
      "text": "Sch. 36 paras. 44-49 applied (20.3.2014) (with effect in accordance with Sch. 7 para. 5(1) of the amending Act) by 2004 c. 12, s. 153C(3) (as inserted by Finance Act 2014 (c. 26), Sch. 7 paras. 3, 5(1))"
    },
    {
      "type": "C",
      "label": "C3",
      "text": "Sch. 36 paras. 44-49 applied (with effect in accordance with Sch. 7 para. 8(1) of the amending Act) by 2004 c. 12, s. 159C(3) (as inserted by Finance Act 2014 (c. 26), Sch. 7 paras. 7, 8(3))"
    },
    {
      "type": "C",
      "label": "C4",
      "text": "Sch. 36 paras. 44-49 applied (with modifications) (17.1.2017) by Savings (Government Contributions) Act 2017 (c. 2), s. 6(2)(3), Sch. 1 para. 16(5)"
    },
    {
      "type": "C",
      "label": "C5",
      "text": "Sch. 36 para. 45 applied (17.1.2017) by Savings (Government Contributions) Act 2017 (c. 2), s. 6(2)(3), Sch. 2 para. 12(2)"
    },
    {
      "type": "C",
      "label": "C6",
      "text": "Sch. 36 paras. 44-49 applied (17.1.2017) by Savings (Government Contributions) Act 2017 (c. 2), s. 6(2)(3), Sch. 2 para. 22(5)"
    },
    {
      "type": "C",
      "label": "C7",
      "text": "Sch. 36 paras. 45-49 applied (with modifications) (19.3.2019) by The Delivery of Tax Information through Software (Ancillary Metadata) Regulations 2019 (S.I. 2019/360), regs. 1(1), 4(3)-(6)"
    },
    {
      "type": "I",
      "label": "I1",
      "text": "Sch. 36 para. 45 in force at 1.4.2009 by S.I. 2009/404, art. 2"
    }
  ],
  "outstanding_effects": [
    {
      "type": "words inserted",
      "affecting": "ukpga/2017/32",
      "affecting_title": "Finance (No. 2) Act 2017"
    },
    {
      "type": "words inserted",
      "affecting": "ukpga/2017/32",
      "affecting_title": "Finance (No. 2) Act 2017"
    }
  ],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2008/9/schedule/36/paragraph/45",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-10-29T09:12:06.707101+00:00"
  },
  "licence": "Open Government Licence v3.0",
  "licence_url": "https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/",
  "attribution": "Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives."
}