Getting hold of HMRC

chrismac1

dori2o says there are only 2 numbers needed to contact HMRC - but in the course of just one post on one website manages to give 3 different 0845 numbers. Case closed in terms of how simple it is to contact HMRC by phone.....

Pennywise

Typically, HMRC staff knowing only their small "bit" of the job whereas the accountant has to deal with lots of different issues for the average client they deal with. Dori mentions 3 phone lines, and that's just for income tax. There's four different phone numbers for dealing with national insurance, then there's two numbers for dealing with corporation tax, and 3-5 numbers for dealing with VAT. Oh, yes, another number for tax credits, and another 2 numbers for CIS matters, not to mention the various numbers for special tax offices such as high worth individuals and non residents, and add to that the 2 different numbers for dealing with the Collector of Taxes and the debt collection department, and we're close to 20.

You have to remember that you only answer the calls that are sent to your call centre. What about all the other calls on other matters that are dealt with by other offices that you never know about. The HMRC people who post on here clearly know just the PAYE and SA system for individuals - far enough, but accountants, because they are usually dealing with more complicated cases, deal with lots of different HMRC departments, and sorry to burst you bubble, but your claim of 2-3 phone numbers just doesn't cut it at all.

Only last week, I was passed from pillar to post regarding a simple corporation tax refund due to losses relief carried back to an earlier year. That involved 4 different numbers trying to find where the "fault" lie because the debt collector was chasing money, told by the collector it was due, who was working on the system showing the loss claim hadn't been processed, shown by the tax office who hadn't processed the claim, but all blaming eachother and giving me a right runaround as everyone claimed they'd done "their bit", but couldn't see what the other departments were seeing. So much for your claims of "one numbers"!!! It's a joke. You don't know the half of it because you only deal with your own bit of an overly complex system.

Yes, I know you're going to retort with the agent priority helplines but they still don't go through to anyone who can see the "Bigger" picture covering more than one small bit of the whole, in in a lot of areas, there still is not priority helpline. Perhaps part of the bigger HMRC problem is that their own staff don't appreciate how many different offices deal with matters that they don't personally deal with or know about?

sandx

Thanks for all the replies however I accept the payment date was Jan 31st but I had a query outstanding and heard nothing till this nasty letter.

Let me clarify my current moan.

The nasty letter demanded payment by 28th Feb. Which I have done, by 25th Feb actually. A nice guy at Bournemouth confirmed this and this certainly took me 3 hours of contant ringing between 11:30 and 2:30 to get through. You can check the phone records perhaps? I kept getting a 'sorry we're too busy' message or was on hold for over 10 mins.

So why another letter for the SAME AMOUNT dated 27th Feb?

As for the interest for not paying by Jan 31st, I was led to believe the nasty letter included this interest for late payment already - it was dated 11th Feb wasn't it?

Thanks.

JasonLVC

dori2o wrote: »

Sending forms, i.e. a 64-8 to the wrong place.this then has to be forwarded to the correct office to be updated. Then phoning up complaining because YOU have followed the wrong proceedure.

The highlight of my day, and it happens almost everyday, is when the agent comes on the phone, shouting the odds, only to be told the problem is with something they have done wrong. Listening to them squirm is some consollation for the sh*t salary and working conditions.

The 64-8 problem is of HMRC's own making, insisting on 'live' signatures for a 64-8 when you can send your accounts and VAT returns in electronically without a signature. No logic there. I can register a business online for VAT and submit their VAT returns without a signature but if I want to call HMRC I need the taxpayer to sign a form which cannot be emailed or faxed as the signature must be in 'ink'. Hmmmm.

On your second point, I agree that agents often cause the error and I always call the taxpayer to double check before ringing to chase HMRC as nothing worse than calling HMRC and asking to know where the whatever letter/payment is, only to be told that the letter/payment has been sent out two weeks ago.....taxpayers are very good at dropping their agents in it like this and 'forgetting' to tell you that the letter had come/payment received.....

Pennywise

dori2o wrote: »

Sending forms, i.e. a 64-8 to the wrong place.this then has to be forwarded to the correct office to be updated.

Of course, some HMRC staff havn't read the back of the form 64-8 which gives the exceptions as to when the form shouldn't be sent to Longbenton and then instead of processing the 64-8 form when it's rightly been sent in with other correspondence (as per the instructions on the back of the 64-8) the HMRC staff send it to Longbenton and send the client a letter saying that they can't respond to us because we havn't sent the 64-8 to Longbenton. You couldn't make it up!!

Gas_Powered_Toothbrush

Pennywise wrote: »

You couldn't make it up!!

Statistically, 84% of the time this phrase is used, the person has indeed made it up.

chrismac1

Please tell me this one is made up, then - that all HMRC online services will be shut down totally between 2nd and 6th April 2011. I've seen a couple of posts on other sites to that effect, it scarcely seems credible though. But with HMRC almost anything is possible - except efficiency or effectiveness.

villabadger

chrismac1 wrote: »

Please tell me this one is made up, then - that all HMRC online services will be shut down totally between 2nd and 6th April 2011. I've seen a couple of posts on other sites to that effect, it scarcely seems credible though. But with HMRC almost anything is possible - except efficiency or effectiveness.

Just got this off of the hmrc website......HMRC Online Services will be unavailable from Saturday 2 April until 06.00 Wednesday 6 April to allow for IT upgrades. All services will be affected including Corporation Tax, Self Assessment, PAYE and VAT. Detailed information on timings will be confirmed.

Brilliant - must be the mother of all upgrades to be off line for that amount of time! Guess they will set up another phone line to take calls from people saying " I can't use online services - is there a problem?"

sandx

I can see there are a lot of people out there that share my frustration.

If HMRC are getting so many calls, why can't they offer an email address?

I've checked the online self assessment web site and can't see an address for complaints about HMRC either. My complaint would be about the letters arriving 2 weeks after their letter date and the repeat demand letter dated 27th Feb when someone at HMRC has told me my money went through on 25th Feb.
:mad:

silverjay

villabadger wrote: »

Just got this off of the hmrc website......HMRC Online Services will be unavailable from Saturday 2 April until 06.00 Wednesday 6 April to allow for IT upgrades. All services will be affected including Corporation Tax, Self Assessment, PAYE and VAT. Detailed information on timings will be confirmed.

Brilliant - must be the mother of all upgrades to be off line for that amount of time! Guess they will set up another phone line to take calls from people saying " I can't use online services - is there a problem?"

Seems perfectly reasonable for them to need time to upgrade to the new tax year which starts on 6/4/11.