Not aware of High Income Child Benefit Charge

wetcaterpillar

I've just found out about the High Income Child Benefit Charge.

Neither myself (earning more than £50k), or my partner (getting child benefit) seemed to get any correspondence about this, so I wasn't aware I had to register for self-assessment last year or file a tax return at all.

It seems like this will incur a significant penalty.

What options do I have here?

poppasmurf_bewdley

Where have you been that you have not heard about this? It's been on all the news broadcasts, in the newspapers, and on this and other forums for at least 18 months if not longer.

If you check, you will also probably find that Revenue & Customs have written to you as well.

mjm3346

Suggestions

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/personalfinance/consumertips/tax/10591211/Over-100000-parents-face-child-benefits-tax-fine.html


http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/news/family/2013/10/child-benefit-deadline-for-higher-earners-looms

wetcaterpillar

That doesn't really answer the question though (in response to poppasmurf_bewdley).

I don't watch live TV. I get all of my new online, so I don't read papers. I don't read the tax sections of forums because, up until now, I have had to do nothing around tax as it is handled under PAYE. I haven't received anything from HMRC - I'm not actually sure how they would know to write to me really as I doubt there is any link between me and my partner as far as they are concerned.

So, the question still stands, what options do I have here?

custardy

wetcaterpillar wrote: »

That doesn't really answer the question though.

I don't watch live TV. I get all of my new online, so I don't read papers. I don't read the tax sections of forums because, up until now, I have had to do nothing around tax as it is handled under PAYE. I haven't received anything from HMRC - I'm not actually sure how they would know to write to me really.

So, the question still stands, what options do I have here?

Well given your choices of media viewing
surely the onus is on you?
Dont you speak to people? I have had conversations on this subject many times.
Regardless,your 'option' is speak to HMRC

wetcaterpillar

blondebubbles wrote: »

The first thing to do is to find out if correspondence has been sent to you.

I can't find anything about this at all. My partner can't find anything either.

poppasmurf_bewdley

wetcaterpillar wrote: »

I can't find anything about this at all. My partner can't find anything either.

It was in the budget 2012, which received quite a lot of publicity (just like the one last week).

See:
http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/news/reclaim/2012/03/budget-2012-what-the-child-benefit-overhaul-means-for-you

As for not being able to find anything, putting 'Child Benefit cuts' on Google just now produced 24,300,000 results (that's twenty four million, three hundred thousand results)!

wetcaterpillar

poppasmurf_bewdley wrote: »

It was in the budget 2012, which received quite a lot of publicity (just like the one last week).

See:


As for not being able to find anything, putting 'Child Benefit cuts' on Google just now produced 24,300,000 results!

Please read what I replied to:

The first thing to do is to find out if correspondence has been sent to you.

This is what I'm referring to, not google.

I'm pretty clearly not asking "How could I have found out about this 2 years ago?", I'm asking what the options are now.

custardy

wetcaterpillar wrote: »

Please read what I replied to:


This is what I'm referring to, not google.

I'm pretty clearly not asking "How could I have found out about this 2 years ago?", I'm asking what the options are now.

Does the budget only sit on tax sections of forums?

wetcaterpillar

blondebubbles wrote: »

You need to ask them. If they sent it to you and you haven't received it or lost it etc then that isn't their error.

If they never sent you anything then you may have more of an argument to not pay the penalty.

Thanks.

Do you have any further information about that? I have read a Telegraph article that mentioned the fines being different for the High Income Child Benefit Charge as it seems they didn't inform quite a lot of people.

Currently I'm struggling to see how they would have known to write to me as our finances aren't linked.At the same time I assumed that as my salary hasn't changed, or our circumstances, that nothing would change with child benefit or tax.

wetcaterpillar

custardy wrote: »

Does the budget only sit on tax sections of forums?

It's interesting how your only angle on this is "How could you not have known about it?". As you can see, I am a new user to this forum. I don't read any forums that regard tax because, up until now, if my circumstances haven't changed, everything has been automatically handled as part of PAYE. I prefer to spend my time doing other things.