Road Tax / S.O.R.N

[JonRB]

The tax disc expired on the Elan at the end of December last year, but its in a semi laid-up state at the moment so we haven't got round to doing it. The car has been off the road since then and hasn't been driven on a public road (or at all, for that matter).

We're planning on taxing it this week and can't decided whether to get it to run from 1st February or back date it to 1st January.

If we do that, do we have to fill out a S.O.R.N. (Statutory Off Road Notification) to cover January?

Or should we just save ourselves a load of hassle (but effectively pay for a month we haven't used) and have the tax run from 1st January so that there is no break in Road Fund Duty?

[farmboy]

go from 1st Feb. There is a box where you have to declare that the car has not been on public roads, if there is a difference between when last taxed and current tax.

As for the SORN, are you sure you didn't post it and they lost it.

[AJLintern]

Had this problem just yesterday with my Peugeot. Tax ran out at the end of November, but just prior to this the brakes failed luckily at low speed. Anyway, as I couldn't drive it on the road until fixed, I put off getting the tax. I didn't apply for SORN because I wasn't intending to take it off the road for very long. However Christmas came and went and I finally get round to sorting the brakes, so I go to the post office to get the tax paid. 'Sorry you have to re-apply for your road tax as we can't back date it for more that 6 weeks' I don't see why not - its not as if I'm asking them to give me 2 free months, it would still run out in November this year!
Its not clear on the documents that there is any sort of time limit to pay the tax - as long as you pay it for the period you are on the road