self assesment repayment query

kez_d

my partner is owed around 1800 after doing his online self assesment tax teturn.
on calculation it showed amount available to request back, he did this, then 48 hours later its showing as available to request again, no pending etc and obviously no payment made.
when rang they said it takes up to 4 weeks for payment to be made but wouldnt comment as to why its showing as available to request again and were quite rude
has anyone else had this? should he request it again?

jimmo

As no one else has replied I thought I would try.
If the system shows an amount available to request back, there can't be much harm in requesting a repayment (again).
You don't know whether the original request, online, failed or not. Whilst it seems extremely unlikely, the worst that can happen is that you will receive 2 repayments and you will have to pay back one of them.

chrismac1

One pitfall - when HMRC blocks a repayment request, - VAT, corporation tax or income tax - in my experience they NEVER:

1. Tell the taxpayer, or
2. Tell the taxpayer's agent if they have one.

Once the four weeks is up, call again and insist on getting an answer. If they are quite rude that is unfortunately quite normal, even decent people seem to end up quite rude once they've worked on the helplines for more than about a year. Don't let this put you off - at the very least get a reason as to why the payment has not yet been made. It may just be incompetence, which is quite common - for example once of my clients records has been "merged" with someone with the same surname who lives 200 miles away. The result is we get passed around like a hot potato, twelve months nearly since the perfectly legitimate repyament request was made and I've made an official complaint about the incomptent way this has been dealt with.

For example, HMRC has insisted we send in paper copies of payments he made by credit card - for the reason that they don't bother to keep such copies! let me run that one by you again. HMRC expects my client to keep copies of something they can't be bothered to keep a copy of, and expects him to write in with paper copies to join the 12 week mail queue. Note that they have a qualified accountant giving them HMRC payment acceptance records, dates and amounts over the phone but still insist on paper copies. This was six weeks ago so in six weeks time they should have opened the post and I'll try again - in this case the office concerned is in the Midlands, I happen to know the post for that office goes via Cardiff. You couldn't make it up!

spenderdave

For what it is worth, in the last couple of years when I completed my return on line, the amount of refund was credited to my bank account in a couple of days. Two weeks later I got a letter telling me 'the amount will shortly be credited to your bank account'. A delay of the sort you are experiencing probably means it has not been processed.

John_Pierpoint

You find out someone is due tax refunds (eg CIS system?). While they a flaffing about with snail mail you register as them and completer their tax return for them.
Only the refund goes into an account that you control?

I cannot believe it has been that simple, but it make you think.

http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/workingtogether/publications/wt-37.htm#11

kez_d

well requested it again, waited 48 hour processing time and yet again its showing available to reclaim again, any ideas??

System

Your partners return might be one of the random ones they pull for investigation and they won't release the money until they have finished.

kez_d

thanks pam17, its seeming it might be that way, hes had no contact from them and its been over a week now!

taxing

Hi

Around this time of year HMRC also do random security checks on claimed refunds. They do not reveal the criteria for selection (YEs, I know I said random but....), and often the 'selection' is not recorded until about 4 weeks after the refund claim. Then it can take another 4 weeks minimum for them to run their 'checks'.

They don't advise you of any of this and usually you only find out when you call them to ask why the payment is shown as 'pending' in your online tax account.

Regards

kez_d

the reclaim isnt even showing as pending, it just keeps showing as available to request after 48 hours!

missymugwump

Hi

We had this too

Mine was showing as due a rebate on line I claimed it on 25th March.
Printed off the ref no etc as they advise.
Checked online twice in the last two weeks and it said pending payment your request has been received.
Nothing arrived rang HMRC who said we will email the dept that deals with it.
When I asked why I couldn't be put through he said "even we don't have a number for that dept we can only email them" !!!
He says he has requested it via internal email and we have to wait another 15 working days and we will get a letter :mad:

So I went online last night to look and it is now showing as being available for rebate again !!!!!! !!!! and I am tempted to ring and complain is he bull**itting me ? does anyone know what is going on.