What happens if you miss the two-working-day deadline?
Every load you receive has to reach Defra by the end of the second working day after the day it arrives. A load in on Monday is due by the end of Wednesday.
Weekends and bank holidays don’t count as working days. The penalty is a fine, a civil sanction or a fixed penalty — nothing more.
How the two days are counted
The clock starts the day after the load arrives, and only working days count.
- IN ON A MONDAYDue by the end of Wednesday. Tuesday is working day one, Wednesday is working day two.
- IN ON A FRIDAYDue by the end of Tuesday. Saturday and Sunday don’t count, so the count skips straight to Monday.
- IN ON THU 24 DEC 2026Due by the end of Wednesday 30 December. Christmas Day and the Boxing Day substitute are bank holidays, so the count skips them.
Don’t work it out in your head at the gate. The free deadline calculator takes the arrival date and gives you the due date, bank holidays included.
Paper transfer notes continue
Digital reporting runs alongside paper waste transfer notes. Paper doesn’t stop, and no end date for dual running has been published. Keep doing both.
The two routes Defra accept
Defra accept exactly two submission methods: their API, or their own spreadsheet template. You can’t send your own format.
Byrne Waste Tracking builds each load into Defra’s format as you record it at the gate, ready for whichever route you use.
Making the deadline boring
Byrne Waste Tracking is £89 a month per site, plus £70 to set up, once, when you sign up. Unlimited loads, unlimited users, no contract.
I’m listed on GOV.UK as a compatible software provider, and Defra publish the full list so you can compare.
Book a demo using one of your own loads, and see a load go from gate to Defra format in a few minutes.
Last updated September 2026