Paragraph 53

United Kingdom

(1)

For the purposes of this Part and Part 7 a person F1(“P”) is not to be regarded as having failed to do anything required to be done within a particular period of time if—

(a)

F2P had a reasonable excuse for not doing it within that period, and

(b)

if the excuse ceased to exist, P did it without unreasonable delay after the excuse ceased to exist.

(2)

Where sub-paragraph (1)(b) applies, any further time limit running from the end of the period concerned is instead to run from the time when the thing in question was actually done.

F3(3)

For the purposes of sub-paragraph (1)—

(a)

an insufficiency of funds is not a reasonable excuse, unless attributable to events outside P's control, and

(b)

where P relies on any other person to do anything, that is not a reasonable excuse unless P took reasonable care to avoid the failure.

Annotations

Textual amendments

F1: Word in Sch. 5 para. 53(1) inserted (6.4.2014) by Finance Act 2014 (c. 26), Sch. 8 paras. 219(2)(a), 222
F2: Word in Sch. 5 para. 53(1)(a)(b) substituted (6.4.2014) by Finance Act 2014 (c. 26), Sch. 8 paras. 219(2)(b), 222
F3: Sch. 5 para. 53(3) inserted (6.4.2014) by Finance Act 2014 (c. 26), Sch. 8 paras. 219(3), 222 (with Sch. 8 para. 225)

Notes on Schedule 5

Modifications

C1: Sch. 5 modified (18.3.2026) by Finance Act 2026 (c. 11), s. 16
C2: Sch. 5 modified (6.4.2026) by Finance Act 2026 (c. 11), s. 13(10)