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Where Taxpayers and Advisers Meet

HMRC not fit for purpose 3

etf
Posts:1267
Joined:Mon Nov 02, 2009 5:25 pm
HMRC not fit for purpose 3

Postby etf » Fri May 03, 2019 1:49 pm

My daughter has just started her first proper job after a gap year and a half. Her employer deducted some tax from her pay that was not due. I suggested she call HMRC and ask them to issue a tax refund. This is her experience so far:

Wednesday-held for 5 minutes then told HMRC are too busy to take her call.
Thursday-ditto Wednesday.
Friday-held for 22 minutes and then cut off.

I appreciate posting her experience here is unlikely to achieve anything, but at least it records how poor HMRC's service can be. My daughter is lucky as she still lives at home, but I can imagine youngsters in similar situations who have rent to pay might be very frustrated in their first dealings with HMRC.

Come on Sir Jon, start earning that knighthood.

darthblingbling
Posts:698
Joined:Wed Aug 02, 2017 9:09 pm

Re: HMRC not fit for purpose 3

Postby darthblingbling » Fri May 03, 2019 6:30 pm

Friday is boozer day, don't bother ringing after 3

darthblingbling
Posts:698
Joined:Wed Aug 02, 2017 9:09 pm

Re: HMRC not fit for purpose 3

Postby darthblingbling » Fri May 03, 2019 6:31 pm

Actually had some great dealings with the phone system last week. On hold for 30 mins then all of a sudden the automated system says 'we're currently too busy at the moment, goodbye' then hangs up!

D&C
Posts:61
Joined:Thu Dec 22, 2016 10:04 pm

Re: HMRC not fit for purpose 3

Postby D&C » Fri May 03, 2019 8:55 pm

Clearly not being able to get through to HMRC on the phone is not great.

But to be fair your daughter appears, based on what you have posted, to have created her own problem. Unless your reference to "first proper job" actually means this is her second job in this tax year.

Had she completed the new starter declaration correctly (and the new employer then used the information from that on her first pay day) then no incorrect tax deduction would have been made in the first place.

And HMRC are not, based on the information posted, going to refund this tax to her. They should be able to issue her with a cumulative tax code which will then allow the employer to make any repayment due through her next wages payment (the one following the employer receiving their copy of the tax code).

etf
Posts:1267
Joined:Mon Nov 02, 2009 5:25 pm

Re: HMRC not fit for purpose 3

Postby etf » Tue May 07, 2019 10:43 pm

Thanks for your replies.

Tax was for the last month of 18/19 and P45 from gap year job was handed over.

My point of posting was however to flag the dire telephone service HMRC can sometimes offer the public.

someone
Posts:689
Joined:Mon Feb 13, 2017 10:09 am

Re: HMRC not fit for purpose 3

Postby someone » Thu May 09, 2019 10:32 am

I've just spent 20 minutes trying to sort out my problem (see "losses to carry forward" post in property)

So I ring the SA helpline - after a wait I get through but they tell me I need the online helpline and put me through to that.

After another wait... they tell me I need to call the SA helpline... after first suggesting that I cannot carry a loss forward from an earlier year - which would make one wonder why box 43 is
43 Loss to carry forward to following year, including
unused losses brought forward
Trying to bump up the "loss brought forward" box online gives:
There is a problem
'Loss brought forward used against this year's profits' must not exceed 'Adjusted profit for the year'. Please amend.
Although it does increase the "Loss to carry forward to following year, including unused losses brought forward:" bit... (I cannot get to "save your return" to see if it fills in box 43 correctly)


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