Written Question·Department for Business and Trade·UIN 104479

Horizon IT System: Compensation

Tabled: 9 January 2026
Answered: 15 January 2026

Question

Rebecca Long Bailey

LabourSalford

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, which Horizon Shortfall Scheme payments are 1) exempt from tax and 2) subject to tax, and whether these taxation rules apply to all historical payments already paid out.

Answer

Blair McDougall
The Horizon Shortfall Scheme (HSS) is designed to put postmasters back into the position they would have been in ‘but for’ Horizon, and no one will pay more tax than at the time of the shortfalls. All fully assessed HSS awards are paid gross and taxable i...

This is an extract from the Parliament API. Search the full answer on Parliament.uk (UIN 104479) →