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Where Taxpayers and Advisers Meet

HMRC records show I worked for an employer from whom I withdrew my application before starting

darkclouds001
Posts:1
Joined:Fri Jan 29, 2021 2:22 pm
HMRC records show I worked for an employer from whom I withdrew my application before starting

Postby darkclouds001 » Fri Jan 29, 2021 2:24 pm

Hello,
I was hoping someone could help me. On my HMRC online account, they claim I worked for an employer, however I withdrew my application in the middle of going through employment checks, before I was meant to start the role. I never started working with them. The employer is DWP (Department for Work and Pensions). I received a job offer from them, which I initially accepted, however I received a better job offer and during the pre-employment checks with DWP I withdrew my application and never started with them. Now, the HMRC records show that I indeed started working with them and that they paid me two salaries in October and November, from which they deducted tax and NI. I never received this money though, and it's false information. This means all my tax records are now wrong.
I contacted DWP, but because it's such a huge organisation they haven't responded, and so far I've been unable to get any help from them. I also contacted HMRC, but they said I needed to contact DWP to resolve this. Basically, I need those records completely removed from HMRC system as it affects my tax records.
To make matters worse, DWP sent me a P45 stating that I ended employment with them! I never even started it...
Does anyone know what I can do, who to contact? I feel hopeless, as I'm dealing with such a huge organisation as DWP and they just keep ignoring me. How easy is it to remove those records and cancel those claims?
Thank you.

robbob
Posts:3228
Joined:Wed Aug 06, 2008 4:01 pm

Re: HMRC records show I worked for an employer from whom I withdrew my application before starting

Postby robbob » Fri Jan 29, 2021 3:03 pm

You almost couldn't make it up that two arms of the government can't run a payroll within the rules that they setup.

I would simply do complaint to head of payroll department of DWP that you are having issues with hmrc that they are erroneously declaring to hmrc information that is not correct and you urgently request a suitable member of their team contact you to discuss, feel free to add this is causing knock on issues with your tax affairs that are annaceptable and need sorting as a matter of urgency. Boosh

feel free to copy in email to other senior people within dwp

Possibly if you have contact details from your application copy that section in too.

Lambs
Posts:1611
Joined:Wed Aug 06, 2008 3:15 pm

Re: HMRC records show I worked for an employer from whom I withdrew my application before starting

Postby Lambs » Fri Jan 29, 2021 3:13 pm

D,

This is an unusual scenario. One might hope that the DWP were reliable.

Are you sure that it is paid employment? The DWP is also responsible for paying benefits, some of which are taxable. It may be that the P45 covers your receipt of State Benefit, rather than actual paid employment - which may well have ceased at or around the time that you took up the alternative post.

If you are confident that it definitely IS supposed to be for paid employment - which you never, in fact took up - then I suggest you ask for a Self Assessment Tax Return for the tax year in question, and set out your income(s), etc., as you believe them to be. Use the Additional Information sections of your tax return to highlight why, and where, HMRC will find differences between your figures and those that appear to have been provided to them automatically by employers.

It is quite possible that HMRC will then write 'automatically' saying that they are amending your figures to those they have on record, and you must then appeal - preferably in writing - and (re-)explain why you disagree. HMRC should then open an enquiry.

It is practically quite difficult to prove that you did NOT receive money. One point that may help is that, if the position that you took up (instead of with the DWP) was a full-time role, then you could point out that it would be difficult to have have two paid employments running concurrently on a full-time basis (although this is not of course, impossible - night shifts, etc.). Other than that, it would perhaps be possible to get the DWP to confirm into which bank account they paid "your" money. If the account is nothing to do with you, then that should be evident from the payee details; if it is an account of yours, then provide HMRC with bank statements for the relevant period, which show no money received from the DWP in that period. Of course, it would be much easier if the DWP were simply to say that they had made a mistake.

I hope this is useful.

With regards,

Lambs


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