Accountant seems to have stolen £15k+ Don't know what to do

POPPYOSCAR

pmlindyloo wrote: »

Has the accountant sent you copies of the tax returns so that you can check that everything is in order?

did you receive a letter for HMRC saying how much tax you owed? I cannot understand why you would pay your accountant the tax when it hadn't been finalised by HMRC and you hadn't received the letter from them.

Until you speak to the accountant you will have no idea what has happened so I suggest you telephone, take notes and then follow up with a letter. If you have a recording device on your telephone use this when you speak to him. Really this is the only thing you can do if he refuses to reply in writing.

Our accountant does our accounts, prepares the returns and tells us how much tax we need to pay.


We then sign the returns, attach a cheque and give to our accountant.


I agree the OP should do as the accountant has asked and ring him. I would arrange a meeting at the same time.

spadoosh

Have you spoken to him since he asked you to ring his mobile?

I know some stranger told you to put everything in writing but that doesnt appear to be resolving the issue. Try ringing them now, if you can use another mobile phone to record the conversation (on speakerphone) if it makes you feel easier.

Its ok wanting to do everything by letter just be prepared to mess about to and froing for a while. Seems odd trying to make something take 5 weeks instead of being resolved in 5 minutes on the phone.

I assume they have a registered address or workplace? Have you been to visit?

fairy_lights

Does he work from home or does he have an office you can pay a visit to?
There could be an innocent explanation but his lack of communication makes it seem unlikely - if it really was a genuine mistake I'd have thought he would want to contact you as soon as possible to clear it up.

suki1964

Have you not gone to his home or office to speak f2f?

AngryandScared

Andypandyboy wrote: »

It does seem as if you have got ahead of yourself here. Have you spoken to the Accountant personally? It is not unknown for HMRC to make a mistake. Why, if you owed 19.5k and nothing has been paid over would there only be £900 due and on earnings of 62k?

Calm down, take a deep breath and meet the Accountant.

The reason it's only £900 is because a massive adjustment was made reducing what I owed by over £13k. I don't really know what this means, the woman on the HMRC helpline said it means that he's gone back and changed something on the return. I'm not aware of any changes that would warrant me owing that much less tax on money I definitely did earn in 14/15.

I've now been told not to speak to him in person but only by writing. I don't want things to escalate unnecessarily but I'm just following advice. HMRC told me to call Action Fraud ASAP. Action Fraud are telling me to try and get him to explain in writing, but upon hearing the details are sure something fraudulent is occurring. He told me he was going to pay the £19.5k back in May when I sent it over, and it hasn't been paid.

I wish he would just reply to my email explaining why it's all just been a silly misunderstanding, but all I've got is a request to speak on the phone and then radio silence again.

POPPYOSCAR

AngryandScared wrote: »

I've been trying to contact the accountant persistently for a while now about another matter there is confusion over. He doesn't answer calls or emails. My first call was to him but, yes, I called Action Fraud because that's what the lady at HMRC told me to do. I really am hoping it's one big misunderstanding but his only reply to countless phone calls (initially just asking for him to call ASAP, later saying that I'm being chased for money I paid him) and emails laying it all out is just "I don't understand, please call my mobile". But I've been advised now to keep things in writing. I simply want to know what happened to the money I paid him last year, why HMRC are chasing me for money, and why a massive "adjustment" has been made on my 14/15 year unbeknownst to me. No response.

I've been trying to also find out why my partner's return wasn't filed at all, and have been trying to get into contact over a week but no response at all. It was only when I sent him a long email finally saying what this all looks like, that I got any response, and that was simply to call him.

I know it seems over the top but I'm absolutely bloody terrified.

Pay him a visit.

Fosterdog

Sounds like a very stressful situation, please don't make yourself I'll over this.

For now either put £900 aside or just pay HMRC, I know you thought it was already paid but it's not their fault that your accountant never passed the right amount on, for now that tax is still owed. At least that would get HMRC off your back for now and take some if the worry off. I don't get what action fraud mean by it would be you admitting liability, it is your liability, you earned the money, you owe the tax, it is unfortunate that you have been let down by someone you employed to take care of it for you but passing the money to the accountant doesn't end your liability.

Then you need to start looking into what has happened with the accountant, possibly another accountant could help with this? I'm not sure. If your accountant has stolen the money you need to get back on to action fraud and tell them that the department they told you to ring said that they can't deal with it. They may well have other contacts they can out you in touch with.

You may well have to go down the route of taking the accountant to court to reclaim the money from him, you need to start gathering as much evidence as you can, look back over ever email and piece of paperwork you have ever received from him and HMRC.

This could be a genuine mistake, the accountant may have simply linked the payment to the wrong client showing them as over paying and you as underpaying. HMRC may have done the same and mistaking lay linked the payments incorrectly at their end.

tea_lover

Try calling him from a different number to see if he at least answers.

AngryandScared

suki1964 wrote: »

Have you not gone to his home or office to speak f2f?

Hi Suki,

Action Fraud advised not to. Office is only an hour away and I considered going last week about the matter of an unfiled return for my partner, but kept trying to ring the office and it went to switchboard, so didn't want to waste 2 hours round trip and not catch him. Plus I work 8-6 on weekdays and I think he's Jewish so Saturday might be a bit of a non-starter if he's practising.

I didn't get in the car yesterday as I've been in a right old state and to be honest I'm a little scared (not of him, just the situation, and don't know how to handle it...)

suki1964

I think this needs to be moved to the tax forum as its nothing to do with marriages etc