Where Form 6 is required, the collecting authority must receive the Commencement Notice before the chargeable development starts. Official guidance describes this as at least one day before commencement. Check the authority’s submission method and working-day requirements, and send a replacement notice before starting if the date changes.
Where Form 6 is required, the collecting authority must receive the Commencement Notice before the chargeable development starts. Official guidance describes this as at least one day before commencement. Check the authority's submission method and working-day requirements, and send a replacement notice before starting if the date changes.
To tell the collecting authority the intended commencement date for the chargeable development.
The liable party or a planning agent acting with clear authority and an agreed project start date.
So that the collecting authority receives a valid notice before commencement. Official guidance describes this as at least one day before work starts.
Immediate payment, loss of instalments, surcharge and relief or exemption consequences can start, depending on the case and notice date.
Prepare or download Form 6, add it to the pre-start checklist, record proof of receipt and prompt for a replacement if the date changes.
Form 6 tells the collecting authority the date on which the chargeable development is intended to commence. Commencement triggers the payment process and allows the authority to issue the Demand Notice to the person or persons with assumed liability.
It is a formal notice, not a general email saying that work may start soon. Use the correct form, the correct permission reference and a specific intended date.
The authority must receive a valid notice before commencement. GOV.UK guidance states that the notice must be received at least one day before the development is commenced. Some authorities publish their own working-day cut-offs or preferred submission routes, so these should be checked and allowed for.
Do not plan to send the notice after the contractor has arrived or after a material operation has taken place. Build the notice into the pre-start checklist and keep evidence of submission and receipt.
Commencement for CIL is linked to the start of the chargeable development and the planning law concept of a material operation. The relevant operation depends on the permission and works. Examples can include specified foundations, demolition or engineering operations, but the exact point should be checked against the permission and the authority’s guidance.
Site mobilisation, surveys and preliminary activity should not be used as a safe assumption. Where the intended first operation is uncertain, obtain project-specific professional advice before work begins.
The current Form 6 declaration requires a new Commencement Notice where the intended date changes. The replacement must reach the collecting authority before the development actually commences.
Do not edit an old PDF silently or rely on a phone call. Send a new, dated notice and retain the authority's acknowledgement or other evidence of receipt.
Form 6 requires notice to the collecting authority and contains a declaration concerning service on known owners of the relevant land. Check the current form and the project ownership record before submission.
This matters on sites with several ownership interests, option agreements, phased land transfers or a difference between the applicant, developer and landowner.
The collecting authority issues a Demand Notice to the liable party or parties. The notice sets out the amount due and payment arrangements, including any applicable instalment policy.
The project team should compare the Demand Notice with the Liability Notice, confirm the commencement date and diarise any payment deadline. Any discrepancy should be raised promptly with the authority.
A late or missing notice can remove the ability to pay by instalments and can make the amount due immediately. A surcharge may also apply.
For many reliefs and exemptions where the Liability Notice was issued on or after 1 September 2019, the current Form 6 states that failure to submit before commencement can lead to a surcharge of 20 per cent of the notional chargeable amount or £2,500, whichever is lower. Older notices and exceptional circumstances relief can be treated differently. The date and the precise relief must therefore be checked rather than using one generic warning.
Form 6 is part of the four-stage self-build process. It follows an effective assumption of liability and a granted Form 7 Part 1 claim, and it must be dealt with before works start.
A claimant with a granted residential annex exemption must still follow the Commencement Notice steps before development starts.
Current official guidance provides a specific exception where a residential extension exemption has been granted and the relevant Liability Notice was issued on or after 1 September 2019. Form 6 is not required in order to retain that extension exemption. Other chargeable elements or older notices may change the position, so the permission and authority guidance must still be checked.
UK Planning Gateway can place Form 6 inside a pre-start checklist, reuse the permission and Liability Notice references, require a specific date and store evidence of submission. A date-change prompt can direct the user to prepare a replacement notice before the actual start.
How early should Form 6 be submitted?
Can I submit Form 6 after work starts?
Submit a new Form 6 before the development actually starts.
Does Form 6 have to be acknowledged?
Do I need Form 6 for a residential extension exemption?
Who is responsible for Form 6?
CIL Forms Centre
CIL Form 2: Assumption of Liability
Self-Build Exemption
Residential Annex Exemption
Residential Extension Exemption
Find the Local Planning Authority's CIL requirements
Build your pre-start checklist, capture the intended date and submit with confidence.
UK Planning Gateway guidance is intended to support Form 6 preparation and pre-start checks. It does not determine CIL liability, relief, exemption eligibility or the authority's submission process. Users should check the current official form, the Local Planning Authority's current guidance, and the authority's submission route and timing requirements before development starts.
