Inland Revenue Nightmare!

Moths

Can anyone help me I am having an income tax nightmare and I dont know what to do! Sorry this reads like a chinese puzzle but if there are any MSE brain-iacs out there on a sunday morning, I'd really appreciate your help.

In February of this year the Inland Revenue took 80% of my pay from my main job in tax - that was NOT a good day! (note te self I will notice when I'm not being taxed properly). It turned out that my new employer (I'm calling them employer A) had not sent off my P60 etc to the IR to tell them that I had started working for them in November of 2005. When I contacted the IR (in tears I might add) they told me that I might be able to claim some of it back as they had taxed me on the highest band not knowing how much tax I had paid that year etc.
Its now August and I am still fighting with the IR to get it sorted out - it takes the IR an average of six weeks to even open their post so every time I write to them - its a month and a half if I'm lucky, before I hear back from them. The delay has occured because my part time employer (B) - ignored my requests for a P60 (they hadnt sent me one) for ages even though I rang them every other day and even wrote letters, eventually they sent me a P11 which turned out to be the wrong form so the IR sent it back two months later (when they had opened the letter) - I've now managed to get hold of a P60 from B. but am having a complete heart attack as according to them I have not paid any tax on my part time employment in the last tax year - I know I should have noticed this but I find the entire tax code/system completely confusing and I've just realised that I've been reading pay slips from B. wrong so I thought I was paying tax when I havent.

I am absolutely terrified that the IR are going to tax all of my pay again - I simply could not cope financially if they did this

I cant work out if there is a reason that I wasnt paying tax on my part time job B. last year or if someone hasnt done their job properly. My tax codes last year were a huge mess, so am going to try and explain what happened to see if anyone can shed any light.

The IR got very confused last year as my part time job B. was originally a full time job, which I didnt earn enough on to be taxed. Then I started a full time job C. in January 2005 and the IR taxed me at basic rate assuming it was a second job - It took months of phone calls, letters and even going to the tax office in Euston (London) to try and explain to the IR that job B. was now a part time (second job) and that I had a new main job C. Eventually I got some of the tax back that I had overpaid on my main job in June of 2005 and (silly me) I assumed that as the IR had sent me a letter explaining that they had adjusted my tax codes that meant that I was now on the right tax code for my part time job.

This year, having realised that my tax code on my part time job had been issued for the new tax year wrong - 489L so am not being taxed - have I suddenly realised that I wasnt being taxed on it for the remainder of last year either - even though as far as I was concerned my tax code had been reviewed - I just dont understand how this can have happened??!).
Has my part time employer (B.) just not changed the tax code when it was requested by the IR? Or have the IR not changed the code at all despite all of my efforts? Or am I being totally homer simpson stupid?

(Just to make things extra complicated I started a new main job A. in November of last year which kicked this whole thing off.)

I am very scared! and I am swimming in pay slips and letters from the IR and P60s and P11s and goodness knows what else and I am totally confused and worried!
boo!

waddy80

Ok,

My mum works for the inland revenue. (heard all the jokes before!) You should have in a nearby large town or city an IREC. (Inland revenue enquiry centre). This is where you can go in and actually speak to a human being face to face. I think they are starting to integrate them into job centre's.

Call them (yellow pages) make an appointment and take the truck load of paper work with you.

The person you should spek to should know what they are talking about as they tend to be experienced staff.
If you are having problems contacting them PM me and I'll see if mymum can help.

Don't worry you'll get to the bottom of it.

Mum_on_a_mission_2

Owning up to my day job - I work for HMRC too. PAYE is a cumbersome system and can be a nightmare when 2nd or 3rd jobs are involved.

I agree with post above - find your nearest Enquiry Centre - ring and make an appointment and take everything in with you. You can get the address and phone number from https://www.hmrc.gov.uk

I'd suggest you also make a list of exactly who you worked for and when, and if you can see what you earned in total from each place put that on the list too. Asktoo, that any overpayment is collected through your next years tax code and any adjustment down in your tax code is done on a month1/week1 basis.

PM me if you need anything else

Louise

Moths

Thanks guys, I will give it a try - do you think that going to the IR office (fortunately I am near the head office in Euston, London) would be better than sending off the paperwork in the post with a letter requesting a spread of the repayments? (there is already ongoing correspondance about this with the IR) Do you think they will be able to work it out for me while I'm at the office? Just wandering - thanks again for your replies.