Sudden demand for 4 years of Tax Returns but I have not worked, nor Self Employedwhy?

Skint_yet_Again

Hi Belinea I am so sorry to hear of your loss. Please phone HMRC and stress you have health issues and you are finding the whole business very distressing. Ask to be referred to their Needs Extra Support Team who should give you extra assistance

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/hmrc-comes-out-of-the-office-to-support-customers-who-need-extra-help

Hope that helps x

belinea2010

Hi everyone and thank you for your kind replys.

After an hour and 18 or so minutes of being on hold I suddenly got an automated message saying "we can not deal with your call right now, Good bye" and the line went dead.

Great service, NOT.

I was not aware of their extra support team but I will try again tomorrow and ask to speak to them if I manage to get through.

If not would writing to them be a better way to go, at least things would be in writing then?

According to the letters I don't have to get the tax returns back to them until July 10th so I have time to send them a first class letter if I can't get to speak to anyone?

What do you you think?

Thanks again

Belinea

Coneygree

Make a note down of every time you try to make contact, and yes write to them, maybe an email would be a good idea.

patanne

If you can ring them before 9am (or even before 8) it can be easier to get through.

katejo

Someone on MSE advised me recently to ring early on Saturday morning because people don't want to spend their free day dealing with tax issues. I haven't tested it.
In your position I think I would write a letter and send it by recorded delivery (after ringing on a Saturday.)

belinea2010

Hi all.

Thanks for the replys.

I managed to finally get through to someone at dinner time after trying all morning.

The chap seemed okay and was sympathetic when I explained everything to him. I asked for the "extra help team" and he said he would like to see if he could sort it out without having to involve them first, if not he would get someone from that team to contact me.

He looked at my tax record and said he could not see anything on there that would account for the issued returns. He could see that my self employment ended in the late 90s and that my tax affairs were considered closed then. He said that there were quite a few notes on my account from other staff members but that were all from the 90's.

He could also see that the benefits I am on are not taxable but there was a more recent note from someone asking for the new tax returns to be sent out but the note did not say why which he thought was odd.

He has gone off to try and contact who ever it was that left this new note and find out why the request was made then he promised to call me back this afternoon with more info but so far I have heard nothing.

So this is where I am at with this so far...

PlutoinCapricorn

It is a pity that you have had so much trouble with this, but your persistence and determination to sort it out might inspire others in the same position - especially if they tell you why you were asked to complete returns.

Have you looked at the list of reasons other than being self-employed e.g. are you a minister of religion, getting the state pension, a higher rate tax payer, letting out property...

belinea2010

Hi PlutoinCapricorn

Thank you for your post

Nope, I'm none of those things you mentioned.

Just a normal person (what ever that may be).

PlutoinCapricorn

Then perhaps you dropped off their radar and they wanted to know what you were living on these days... perhaps it was just a mistake.

belinea2010

Well the chap from the HMRC called at 5.35pm.

He said he was sorry it took so long but he was called away to do something that took longer than he thought (I was impressed by his apology - he didn't have to do that).

He had spoken to the person who had made the recent note on my file and the upshot is I have been invited to write in and formally ask for the returns to be cancelled.

The way he explained it is, just a short covering letter saying I had spoken to him and as the file shows my tax affairs were up to date and closed in 1997' and as I have not been self employed since, and as for the periods the requested tax returns cover ie: 2011 - 2014 I have been to ill to work and in receipt of none taxable benefits, I request that the demand for Self Assessment returns are with drawn.

He said that this would trigger an internal appeal and things can be taken from there.

What do you guys think, have any of you heard of anything like this before?

Thanks

Belinea