How to Get Through The Tough Times The Old Style Way.

ChocClare

Hugs to you catznine: horrible shock to the system, but as kidcat says, you have to be allowed to pay it back over a longer term if you just don't have the money. My colleague's husband had a similar letter and they've just had to repay £5,000 - they are actually quite comfortably off, so were able to cash in some savings, but it is still a real shock. And it's not as if he works for some dodgy small firm - he works for the MOD. He also has a small pension and I think it must be this that seems to cause payroll departments so much grief. When I did payroll, you looked at what the person had earnt to date, ran your finger across a row of figures until you found that number, then down a column until you found the amount of tax they were supposed to have paid to date. If they'd paid less, then you took tax off them; if they'd paid more, you gave it 'em back. It's all computerised now, so I imagine it's still easier and does all the calculations for you. So I can only think that it's the extras like second jobs and pensions which must confuse people. I don't see why really, because if your tax code is correct, then your pension is taken into account already when it comes to working out your PAYE.

Mind you, on the one occasion when I spotted an error I had made (I transposed two figures when I was putting them on the tax return, eg 4920 instead of 4290) I felt like I was banging my head against the wall talking to the numpty at the tax office. He kept insisting there was £630 tax to pay; I kept saying ADD UP THE B%@@@ FIGURES AND YOU'LL SEE IT ADDS UP TO 4290, NOT 4920!!!!! Eventually, I insisted on speaking to a supervisor, who understood what I was talking about straight away and corrected the form for me. But if the original chap was the usual type you get in tax offices, then I'm not surprised there are so many mistakes now being audited.

Anyway I digress: that's no comfort to you. If you find yourself running short of materials for your hearts etc. just pm me and I will be happy to send you a selection from my own little fabric and haberdashery store (aka my sewing room). Or I'll make some hearts for you

Lovely to see you being so positive - but do just yell if you decide you're fed up with being positive and want help NOW

ChocClare

Hugs to you as well, Larumbelle - I had an abcess behind the wound when I had my appendix out and I well remember how rotten it was - and I'll spare you the graphic details of how it was sorted in the end :eek:

Nice to hear good things about building societies. I think on a local level they do bend over backwards for you quite often - it's when you deal with the faceless call centres that it goes wrong - doing away with local branch numbers has caused so much aggravation, hasn't it?

Hope you soon feel better (and that they pay your bills on time for you!)

shegar

Banks and building societies will go out of their way to help anyone this week, cos next Tues 5 April we can all start a new ISA, for the new financial year , and they all want our money for them to invest..........
Thats if anyone has got £5340 cash to go straight into ISA ...........?:eek:...im off to bed very soon, im tired as usual.......take care all.

bertiebots

Hugs to everyone having a bad time again...:grouphug:

Surely gailey must be having that baby? Cant wait to hear from her and hope all is well!:D

I have spoken to council tax benefit people today and fingers crossed my benefit is now sorted...everything came up correct on her computer anyway hurrah!! So thats a weight of my mind :T

A new weight has replaced it though... I spoke to my supervisor for my cleaning job today and I am not convinced that working for this certain large company has been a wise move. I am supposed to be getting my first proper wage from them tomorrow ,4 weeks pay. I received a timesheet to fill out for April in the post and asked her how to fill it in...her reply was -have you not filled one in before?:eek:...erm no mention of timesheets in the 6 weeks I have been working for them! ( I clock in and out using a phone system) She also didnt sound happy when I question what I would be working over the bank holidays and get the feeling that they dont wont me to have any hols!:think:
So I am looking for another job ...again . Basically they stuck me in the job and left me to it with no contact info, hr info ,holiday info etc etc etc and its not really on. All I have is this womans mobile no. so it costs me money to call her and she can never give me a straight answer. I only get £6 ph and am payed monthly! (if I get payed that is) -so far I have recieved a weeks pay and that was taxed on emergancy tax so I lost £9! I started on the 21st of feb and am going to be very annoyed if my pay isnt in the bank tomorrow.:mad: I really cannot afford to not be payed!
But if I do get a new job I dont even know who to hand my resignation letter to:rotfl::doh: !
Anyway the good new is that I have seen a couple of jobs I can phone about in the morning that sound like the hours might be ok...never a dull moment eh !

I am having a bit of a weeble week I think have also heard from my solicitor today and they are now ready to start sorting out finances, I just have a few things I am waiting for before I can submit everything then the fun will start_pale_.

I really feel like getting away from everyone at the mo to some quite green place with a book and some wine but have to keep calm and carry on!

I have never been one for mags myself. The last regular mag I baught was Jackie or smash hits when I was young:eek:..does anyone remember the funny photo strip stories they used to do!:rotfl:

Take care everyone x

Kittikins

One of my friends at school was in photo strip stories for Jackie and My Guy, how we used to be envious!!

ceridwen

Larumbelle wrote: »

Forgot to say, I was very impressed with my Building Society today. I called to ask if I could transfer some money over the phone. They said no because I wasn't set up for it. I explained the situation - just had surgery, can't walk etc - and that if the money didn't get from my main account to my bills account before tomorrow I was going to end up with three bounced direct debit charges that I can ill afford. I asked if there was anything they could do. He put me on hold for a few minutes then when he came back he said he'd spoke to a manager and they'd do the transfer for me, as they could see I transfer money between the two accounts at the end of every month and also that the last time I'd made a card payment or used the ATM it had been at the hospital. He gave me the manager's name and extension number and said if for any reason the transfer didn't go through to call and they'd refund any charges. He also sent me the forms to get internet and telephone banking set up if I want to, just in case there's a next time.

Nice to read about a bit of good service for once:D:T

Here's hoping that you are soon feeling well again ((())). Take care lass.

love
ceridwen
x

GreyQueen

Larumbelle really sorry to hear that you've got something horrible going on and ((hugs)) and best wishes that you get well soon.

Those tax letters are shocking, I'm astonished at how people are rebounding, think I would have heart failure if it was mine. Hard to believe that PAYE tax customers could have their affairs so badly screwed up. I'm almost 100% sure I heard on Radio 4's "Moneybox" show that you do have the right to pay these underpayments back over 3 years but they make you ask, they don't volunteer the information. I'd challenge like billy-o first, though.

Idiot Boy was out all evening and all night (joy be upon me) so have slept and feel very good indeed. Tooth is OK although I did have a horrible medicinal taste in my mouth yesterday. Dentist had warned me this would happen because of some anti-infection thingie he's put it to tide me over until Thursday coming when the root canal is finished. It was so vile that I HAD to eat ch*c*late, just had to........:rotfl:At least, that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it!

Just paid my council tax over the phone (to one of my colleagues) as we work in the same call centre. Horrible spending money on such things rather than kelly kettles, wind-up lanterns and books books books but needs must or they'll take me to court. My council makes you pay council tax by direct debit in 10 installments not 12 but you can pay in 12 but you have to ask for it. We're not allowed to volunteer the information. I suspect the tax offices are the same about this one year/ three years repayment thing.

Incidentally, did Kafka ever work in the civil service/ local government?! He certainly seems to have inspired them!

Blasted seagulls have come into my block again and are wheeling about screeching. Can't they find a plough/ fishing boat/ rubbish dump to haunt somewhere?

Grey and mild here today, yesterday's rain didn't amount to anything and the afternoon was lovely and sunny.

CherryPie

GreyQueen wrote: »

:)My council makes you pay council tax by direct debit in 10 installments not 12 but you can pay in 12 but you have to ask for it. We're not allowed to volunteer the information.

I did not know this!! Do you think all councils are the same?? I'm off to try, will pop back on later with hopefully a success story

:beer:

bertiebots

Morning folks!:j
Well good news and bad news for me today. I have been payed! Bad news is I was taxed at 20% ..so 20 mins on the phone to the tax office later and I wont get it back till my p60's are produced and the council job p60 wont be issued till may! grrrr:mad:! So I basically am a week short on my wage.
....and thats not including what I failed to mention before regarding my dinner lady job. To cut a long story short I am working rather a lot of overtime and not getting payed. My supervisor is filling out my time sheet and I think she is "missing" bits off , on purpose ,to keep her budget down. I have told her I need to fill out my own but she did the same thing this week and I think its going to become a bit of an issue to say the least. I am eagerly awaiting next weeks payslip to find out what has been submitted!:eek: I am totally pigged off tbh and working about 20hrs a week but only getting £90(for both jobs) is beyond funny:(. I really need 1 job at 16hrs a week that actually pays me for what I am doing. Times are tough enough as it is!
And on that note I am off to work:cool: have a good day everyone x

babychick

bertiebots wrote: »

Morning folks!:j
Well good news and bad news for me today. I have been payed! Bad news is I was taxed at 20% ..so 20 mins on the phone to the tax office later and I wont get it back till my p60's are produced and the council job p60 wont be issued till may! grrrr:mad:! So I basically am a week short on my wage.
....and thats not including what I failed to mention before regarding my dinner lady job. To cut a long story short I am working rather a lot of overtime and not getting payed. My supervisor is filling out my time sheet and I think she is "missing" bits off , on purpose ,to keep her budget down. I have told her I need to fill out my own but she did the same thing this week and I think its going to become a bit of an issue to say the least. I am eagerly awaiting next weeks payslip to find out what has been submitted!:eek: I am totally pigged off tbh and working about 20hrs a week but only getting £90(for both jobs) is beyond funny:(. I really need 1 job at 16hrs a week that actually pays me for what I am doing. Times are tough enough as it is!
And on that note I am off to work:cool: have a good day everyone x

Just a thought, don't employees have to sign timesheets to verify that they're correct - countersigned by a supervisor or manager to authorise payment? This has always been the case where I've had to submit timesheets (various jobs). It might be worth checking out to ensure that your signature isnt being forged :eek: maybe a quick call to payroll too, to check what hours have been claimed over the past few weeks - make sure you're keeping a record yourself too. Hope you get sorted out soon!:)