HMRC screw up

[floo]

Our eldest daughter has very kindly attended to my husband's income tax since his illness in 2006. I am mathematically challenged, and have never filled in a tax form in my life.

She did his self-assessment form online as usual last year and had confirmation back from the taxman that they owed my husband about £800. The confirmation form was printed out and supposedly filed, my job!

You can imagine how shocked we were to get a letter from HMRC during this week claiming the income tax form for last year hadn't been filed, and demanding £100 as a starter fine! We looked for the confirmation form and couldn't find it, even though we knew it had been printed out! I then checked the bank account into which the money the tax man owed us should have been paid, only to discover it hadn't been forthcoming!:shock: Without evidence we couldn't appeal, which is very annoying. We have had to pay the £100 fine and re-file the tax form, even though we know for a fact HMRC has screwed up! As you can imagine we are taking particular care to keep the confirmation form safe, this time.

Anyone else been a victim of an HMRC screw up, which appears to be quite common?

[Brownie]

Not me but I remember after my dad died, many years ago, there was an erroneous demand for tax (eight pounds would you believe, but he died in 1973).  I took over and it was soon sorted but my mum got into a right state about it, which at the time I thought was OTT but I daresay I shouldn't have judged.

My tax is deducted at source from my pension so I have no worries there.  Son and husband both do self assessment and have an accountant, I have no idea how it all works but it seems to pan out.  Self assessment forms are quite easy to complete but are supposed to be in on time, I know the accountant always contacts my two moaning they haven't sent it in yet.  Everything always done at the last minute.

Actually, thinking about it, I did have a self assessment form last April because I am part owner of John's business but I gave it to him to sort out.  I would be able to do it if I had to but I have nothing to do with the business and can't be bothered.

Government departments do get stuff wrong sometimes.  You'll get your hundred quid back in due course floo.

[floo]

Not me but I remember after my dad died, many years, there was an erroneous demand for tax (eight pounds would you believe, but he died in 1973).  I took over and it was soon sorted but my mum got into a right state about it, which at the time I thought was OTT but I daresay I shouldn't have judged.

My tax is deducted at source from my pension so I have no worries there.  Son and husband both do self assessment and have an accountant, I have no idea how it all works but it seems to pan out.  Self assessment forms are quite easy to complete but are supposed to be in on time, I know the account always contacts my two moaning they haven't sent it in yet.  Everything always done at the last minute.

Actually, thinking about it, I did have a self assessment form last April because I am part owner of John's business but I gave it to him to sort out.  I would be able to do it if I had to but I have nothing to do with the business and can't be bothered.

Government departments do get stuff wrong sometimes.  You'll get your hundred quid back in due course floo.

I am not holding my breath, as HMRC seem to be in a right mess according to news reports. It is a good job we can afford to lose £100, unlike some people, but I would much sooner have donated it to charity.   Mind you, I am partly to blame, for not having filed the copy of the confirmation form safely, and remiss in not noticing that HMRC had failed to pay the £800 they owed my husband.

[BeRational]

Our eldest daughter has very kindly attended to my husband's income tax since his illness in 2006. I am mathematically challenged, and have never filled in a tax form in my life.

She did his self-assessment form online as usual last year and had confirmation back from the taxman that they owed my husband about £800. The confirmation form was printed out and supposedly filed, my job!

You can imagine how shocked we were to get a letter from HMRC during this week claiming the income tax form for last year hadn't been filed, and demanding £100 as a starter fine! We looked for the confirmation form and couldn't find it, even though we knew it had been printed out! I then checked the bank account into which the money the tax man owed us should have been paid, only to discover it hadn't been forthcoming!:shock: Without evidence we couldn't appeal, which is very annoying. We have had to pay the £100 fine and re-file the tax form, even though we know for a fact HMRC has screwed up! As you can imagine we are taking particular care to keep the confirmation form safe, this time.

Anyone else been a victim of an HMRC screw up, which appears to be quite common?

Yes I have.

I filled it in correctly and they made a mistake about my company car.

They then wanted all the money in one year. After speaking to a manager who admitted I had filled the form in correctly but it had been 'missed' they adjusted my tax code so that they could recover the tax in 3 years instead of 1

[Sebastian Toe]

She did his self-assessment form online as usual last year and had confirmation back from the taxman that they owed my husband about £800. The confirmation form was printed out and supposedly filed, my job!

What format did the confirmation take?
eg an email?

[floo]

What format did the confirmation take?
eg an email?

My daughter uses a tax calc so it is all done online.

[Sebastian Toe]

My daughter uses a tax calc so it is all done online.

Online via the HMRC's own system or online using a commercial software provider?

[floo]

Online via the HMRC's own system or online using a commercial software provider?

A Tax Calc, which we purchase, we have never had a problem previously.

[Sebastian Toe]

A Tax Calc, which we purchase, we have never had a problem previously.

So to recap,
you use a third party system which submits a claim for a tax refund to HMRC (online).
HMRC respond (online) confirming refund is due.

...but none of those transactions are stored/recorded anywhere (online)?
 
Did you pay a lot for the system?

[floo]

So to recap,
you use a third party system which submits a claim for a tax refund to HMRC (online).
HMRC respond (online) confirming refund is due.

...but none of those transactions are stored/recorded anywhere (online)?
 
Did you pay a lot for the system?

We do store it online normally and in paper form, but I screwed up there and can only think I inadvertently mislaid the paper printout, and forgot to keep the e-mail from HMRC.

The Tax Calc is only £26 and normally there is no problem at all as it works brilliantly, last year both the HMRC and I screwed up. It won't happen again that is for sure, at least where I am concerned, I will make sure I file everything properly. I had got blasé because we had never had any problems in the past!

[BeRational]

I did mine on their website.

When they checked they agreed I had completed it correctly.

Does not help though, they still want the money which of course they are entitled to, and I was happy with the longer term to pay back, given that they had missed it.

They did me a favour though as they could have asked for it all at once!

[Brownie]

Coincidentally, a *letter has arrived today addressed to my old man from the  HMRC, a brown window envelope with the address on the back.  He'll open that over the weekend, I suppose it's a routine thing.  None of that interests me atm.  He is going into the office tomorrow to prepare papers for the 'Revenue', who want some stuff in advance, then he'll come home and hand deliver the stuff to the accountant who is quite near us.  There have never been any problems but it all seems like a lot of hassle to me as I have always been on PAYE.

My son works in the USA for a few weeks every year and has to file tax returns.  I presume he gets some money back, I've never aksed.

(*I had my hands placed wrongly on the 'puter, and originally typed ''ketter gas'', it looked cool! Still I have corrected it.)

[Sebastian Toe]

and forgot to keep the e-mail from HMRC.

....depending on which e-mail provider you use , it might be possible to retrieve the email.
Did you actually delete it?

[floo]

....depending on which e-mail provider you use , it might be possible to retrieve the email.
Did you actually delete it?

I probably did, as I thought I had the hard copy, never mind it isn't worth loosing any sleep over, as we appear to have righted the situation.

[Brownie]

That is excellent news floo (yes, you can retrieve deleted emails).

[floo]

That is excellent news floo (yes, you can retrieve deleted emails).

In order to retrieve them I would have to set up the main static computer which was used at the time, as I now use my laptop all the time. I can't do that without involving my daughter who is up to her eyes in it as Easter approaches.

[Sebastian Toe]

In order to retrieve them I would have to set up the main static computer which was used at the time, as I now use my laptop all the time. I can't do that without involving my daughter who is up to her eyes in it as Easter approaches.

you should be able to access an email account from any computer!

[floo]

you should be able to access an email account from any computer!

But if it has been deleted surely it has to be somehow retrieved from the hard drive of the computer concerned?

Anyway I will ask my son-in-law, a computer software specialist, for his advice, or at least get my daughter to do so as she will understand what he has to say on the topic.

[Sebastian Toe]

But if it has been deleted surely it has to be somehow retrieved from the hard drive of the computer concerned?

not necessarily, the email account can store stuff online.

[Brownie]

Yes, I have been able to retrieve a couple of deleted messages and I don't know anything complicated about computers, have a hotmail account.

[Hope]

I am not holding my breath, as HMRC seem to be in a right mess according to news reports. It is a good job we can afford to lose £100, unlike some people, but I would much sooner have donated it to charity.   Mind you, I am partly to blame, for not having filed the copy of the confirmation form safely, and remiss in not noticing that HMRC had failed to pay the £800 they owed my husband.

Floo, there should be a copy of the confirmation form saved in your HMRC account pages if it was done online.   Mind you, I wouldn't touch one of these tax calc bits of software, when the HMRC site has its own.