Over £96,000 in Unpaid PLR Earnings

Are you registered for PLR and have not heard from us for a few years? If so, we may have outstanding earnings for you. Please contact the PLR office for further information.

Please select a question from the drop down list:

Who does PLR make payments to?

Payments are made to applicants who have registered titles which have recorded sufficent borrowing to receive a payment. We do not make payments to publishers as they do not qualify under the terms of the PLR scheme. Information regarding eligibility and registration is available in How Do I Apply For PLR?

When and how are payments made?

Payments are made to registered applicants once a year each February.  Wherever possible, payments are made by the most cost effective method.  For UK residents, payments are credited direct into their bank/building society account.  For EEA residents, payment can be made either by Euro cheque or into a nominated UK bank account.  We also offer payment via collecting society for EEA residents who are a member of a collecting society with whom we have an arrangement.

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When will I receive my statement?

Providing that you have registered books by the previous 30 June, you will receive a statement each January.  This provides details of estimated national loans of all your books, the payments due on each and how the payment will be made. 

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What do I do if I haven't received my payment?

You should first check the details included in your annual statement to determine the date which your earnings were due to be paid (usually the first week in February – however your statement will provide more specific dates), and check your payment method before following the steps below;

• If you were due to receive your earnings via bank or building society, you should contact them first and advise them of the payment due date.  If they are unable to trace the payment please contact us. 
• If you were expecting to receive your earnings by cheque, you should verify that we hold your current address details. You may view the personal details which we hold for you online via our online registration service, or alternatively you can contact us. Please note that we are unable to provide personal details via email.
• If you were being paid via a Collecting Society, please note that it may take up to 4 weeks for your payment to reach you.  If you have allowed adequate time and you have still not received your payment, you should contact us and we will contact the Collecting Society on your behalf to investigate.

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Are PLR earnings subject to tax and VAT?

Payments to UK residents are made without the deduction of tax.  You should include details of sums received as income on your tax returns.  However, for non-UK residents, the PLR office is obliged to deduct tax before payment is made at the basic rate (under section 536 of the Income and Corporation Taxes Act 1988).  Tax exemption can be applied for by contacting HM Revenue & Customs Centre for Non-residents.

PLR is outside the scope for VAT and should not be declared on VAT return forms.  In cases of difficulty your local VAT offices should be asked to refer to VAT Administration Directorate (VAH2) quoting reference TL1158/82.

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How can I amend my payment details?

 You can amend your payment details via the following options;

• Online.  If you already have an online account, you may view and amend the personal and payment details we hold for you once logged in.  If you do not currently have an online account, apply for a login. 
• In writing (including your signature) or by signed fax. See contact us.

Unfortunately, for security purposes we are unable to accept changes to payment details via email or over the telephone.

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How do I receive payments if I live outside of the UK?

In order to make payments which are tax exempt, PLR use collecting societies for EEA residents where possible. We have arrangements with the collecting societies listed below which allows us to make block payments, which the collecting society then distributes on our behalf to their individual members.  

If you are a member of one of the collecting societies listed and you are willing to receive payment via this method, please insert the name of the appropriate collecting society when applying (either online or via application). If you are already registered, you may amend your payment details at any time either via the online service or in writing (contact us). If you have nominated a Collecting Society it is necessary for PLR to contact them to verify your membership and arrange for payments to be collected on your behalf.

Alternatively, earnings may be paid by cheque (in Euros) or directly into a UK bank account (in Sterling).

PLR earnings made by cheque to authors living outside the UK are made in Euros. Payments will be converted to Euros from Sterling at the rate that applies on the day on which they are paid from PLR's bank account.

Please note you will liable for tax unless you apply for individual tax exemption.  Please refer to Are PLR earnings subject to tax and VAT? for further details.

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What is a collecting society?

Collecting Societies exist in most countries and collect remuneration rights for authors (eg PLR and photocopying rights). An author who is a member of one of the collecting societies we have an agreement with can choose to have their PLR payments sent via the society. View list of collecting societies

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How much is paid to foreign collecting societies each year?

In February 2010 (PLR loans year 1 July 2008 - 30 June 2009) the following amounts were paid to foreign collecting societies to distribute to their members:-

* Only distribute to Irish authors

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What are the payment thresholds?

The maximum anyone may receive in a year is £6,600; earnings that total less than £1 are not paid.  Money saved as a result of these thresholds is returned to the fund for redistribution.

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Am I guaranteed a payment and how much can I expect to receive?

It is not possible to predict whether you will be entitled to a payment, or how much you can expect to receive as this depends on the popularity of your registered books, and the ‘pence per loan figure’, which changes each year.  The tables below show the payments which were made to registered applicants in the last payment round (February 2010).

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