Large Tax Refund - Mistake?

Jerebine

I recently received a letter from HMRC informing me that I'm due a refund of income tax for £4800 for the tax year 2004-2005. This came as somewhat of a surprise, as although I don't remember too much about that year I'm pretty sure I would have noticed if I'd have overpaid that amount in tax.

A couple of days later I received a letter showing how the refund had been calculated. This showed I paid over £7000 in income tax for that year and the correct amount I should have paid was £2600. After digging out my P60, it shows that I did pay only £2600 income tax that year.

Unless I'm missing something, the tax office has made a big mistake here. Am I missing something? Is the the kind of mistake that HMRC makes? I'm not the only person at my employers to have had these letters, two other people in my department alone have received large refunds for the same tax year, which like me, do not tally up to what their P60 says they paid.

Has anyone had a similar experience?

Cheers

chrismac1

HMRC make mistakes all over the place every day of the week. Some you can understand, others just leave you scratching your head wondering where the hell they get their staff from.

You now have a moral dilemma about whether you come clean or not.

Jerebine

It's tempting to take the money, but I know it would end up being a ticking time bomb threatening to go off in my face at any time.

I can see me being hounded to the ends of the earth for the money back when they realise the mistake around ten years from now. If my life has spiraled out of control due to a series of debilitating behavioral addictions by then, that could be a problem.

I guess I'll get in touch with them.