HMRC MY WIFE

Caretaker1

Well-known member
My wife got a raft of letters recently from HMRC .One letter had a tax refund for 2019/20 .Another with a demand for underpayed tax in 2016/17 .
Any ideas anyone ?
 
Good idea .
Just thought others may have similar experience to share .
Seems strange for HMRC to send a batch of letters covering several years and why not just deduct the underpayment from the refund ?

Most of it is automated so won't be joined up like that, plus you have different options on how you repay an underpayment.
 
Need to contact them ASAP (which I’m assuming you will). Friend of mine got a demand and delayed. They got hounded - better be upfront as the ‘little man’ is an easy target.
Good luck
 
Also be careful with refunds - if they are asking for bank details as to where to pay them then that would raise a red flag for me - just contact HMRC - when you do get through to someone they are normally quite good so should hopefully quickly help you out.
 
Set up access for their on line services, the information on their should help understand your position.
HMRC do work in mysterious ways though.
 
About 6 years ago I received a letter from HMRC (I was self employed between 1998 and 2011). It said, quoting from memory

"In a previous year" - (unspecified) - "you underpaid your National Insurance contributions. Your tax code will be adjusted to enable us to recover this. The amount underpaid is shown overleaf."

I turned the page.

£1.

Sure enough they'd changed my tax code to recover that amount over a period of one year.

I contacted our company admin and they'd been notified. I said "Should I just phone them and pay them over the phone?" Reply - "Oh, NO, please don't do that, it'll cause confusion, just do it their way". So I did and a year later, in average 8.25 pence per month instalments, they were happy.

As my accountant once said - you're talking to a computer.

Having said that, once (if) you get through to a human being, they're very good and helpful. Also they're usually right and if you owe them they want it. Other way round, you'll get it back.

Good luck :)
 
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Good luck ringing them.. I was on the phone for an hour trying to get through last week... I had two letters asking for more information which I had already filled in on line.

When I finally got through the lass on the other end put me on hold whilst she "had a look" and was gone for 20 mins.... Just as I was about to hang up thinking she had stitched me up she came back and told me not to worry about it and promptly hung up.

I got another letter yesterday telling me to ignore the other two... and a cheque is on the way (for what I have no idea as I was under the impression I owed them)
 
Good luck ringing them.. I was on the phone for an hour trying to get through last week... I had two letters asking for more information which I had already filled in on line.

When I finally got through the lass on the other end put me on hold whilst she "had a look" and was gone for 20 mins.... Just as I was about to hang up thinking she had stitched me up she came back and told me not to worry about it and promptly hung up.

I got another letter yesterday telling me to ignore the other two... and a cheque is on the way (for what I have no idea as I was under the impression I owed them)
I always bank any refunds and keep it safe as if it’s not my money. I learnt that from when I was younger as they then came back to me asking for the refund back plus interest!!!
 
a year later, in average 8.25 pence per month instalments, they were happy.

Its a great story, but you actually wont have paid the pound.
HMRC tax codes work in £10 increments so if your tax free allowance was 12505 or 12506, your code would be the same 1250M eg.
 
Its a great story, but you actually wont have paid the pound.
HMRC tax codes work in £10 increments so if your tax free allowance was 12505 or 12506, your code would be the same 1250M eg.
Correct, but doesn't that mean I pay tax on £10 more over the year meaning, on a standard rate of 20%, it cost me £2 instead of £1? No matter, whatever it was, less than a tenner and worth every penny. The letter informed me it'd affect my state pension.
 
Had them on my case. Never had to do self assessment now they are demanding 2 . I got some PPI - decent amount- and it appears this was the trigger.

Certainly it appears they are after whatever money they can grasp. It will hardly dent the country’s debt!
 
Also be careful with refunds - if they are asking for bank details as to where to pay them then that would raise a red flag for me - just contact HMRC - when you do get through to someone they are normally quite good so should hopefully quickly help you out.
I was equally sceptical when I got an HMRC letter about a tax refund from 2018/2019.

The letter didn't ask for any details etc, just for me to log into my HMRC account and process the refund through there. Which I did and got the refund 48 hrs later directly into my bank.
 
Had them on my case. Never had to do self assessment now they are demanding 2 . I got some PPI - decent amount- and it appears this was the trigger.

Certainly it appears they are after whatever money they can grasp. It will hardly dent the country’s debt!
Setting aside your unpaid tax situation for a minute, multiply it by for example a few million then it becomes a large amount does it not. We used to say at work when the clock struck a certain time, 'well that's the tax paid, now the rest is mine. Then of course someone would chip in and not forgetting VAT etc. They will tax the air we breathe if they could, it's the way it is.
AS for O.P +1 for ringing the tax office, they are ever so helpful in explaining your situation and why they are asking for a self assessment so you can cough up!
 
Take the real HMRC seriously.

I ended up having a full Investigation whilst my daughter was just going to University. an absolute nightmare - she could not even get her fees grant as the Local authority could not process the application without the Revenue's assessment.

Remember they think its their ball. You can only "play" if you use their rules
 
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