How long to receive reply from HMRC

1socrates1

I sent a letter to HMRC regarding state pension. The letter was sent around 15 December last year. Just curious how long generally do they take to reply?

Thanks

chrismac1

You need to think in terms of geological timeframes when it comes to HMRC. If you wrote on 15 December, it is just possible HMRC will open your envelope sometime in the coming 2 weeks.

Then it needs to go into a tray and sit and do nothing for a couple of weeks. Then someone will look at it, read it and replace in the tray. Two weeks later someone will draft a reply. A week after that they will print it and date it. A week after that it will go to the HMRC postroom. After about ten days it will go into the mail to the postman. Next day you will receive it.

Pennywise

chrismac1 wrote: »

Then someone will look at it, read it and replace in the tray. Two weeks later someone will draft a reply. A week after that they will print it and date it. A week after that it will go to the HMRC postroom.

You can add several months onto that if the in tray is on the desk of someone who goes on sick or maternity leave after first looking at it and putting it back in their tray. I kid you not. I've had this happen several times over the years. Worse was a VAT issue where I'd been sending chaser letters every month for over a year without any form of reply or response. Finally I escalated it to their "Head Office" and eventually got a reply with the excuse that the lady dealing with had gone on maternity leave and then decided not to return to work, but her work had not been re-assigned and the "post room" didn't know she wasn't coming back so kept putting my chaser reminder letters in her pigeon hole! You really couldn't make up this kind of stuff when it comes to HMRC!!

I'd suggest you phone them to chase it - sending another letter may just go into the same black hole. At least if you speak to someone, they'll be able to see from their system whether it's even been logged in yet, and whether anything has been done.

chrismac1

So it is geological timeframe when taxpayers want something. But when HMRC want to fine you, they move at the speed of light. This is useful information, because by combining these 2 facts we can see how we can get HMRC to move at the speed of light when WE want something from them.

Your next letter is headed up COMPLAINT CASE and COMPENSATION CASE. Now we've got their attention, because paying you £200 in compensation for being a bunch of plonkers wipes out 2 £100 fines.

Joking aside - and as per Pennywise it really isn't that much of a joke - this works. I wish more accountants did it, I wish more taxpayers did it.

Because if every time HMRC perform like a bunch of useless !!!!!! they end up coughing up compensation, that will be the best part of a billion quid every year.

And that will grab the attention of both HMRC top brass and politicians. And finally instead of mealy-mouthed sound bites we'll actually get more staff, staff with a few wits about them instead of just the latest trawl from the monkey cages at the zoo.

And finally proper customer service will reappear. But I am not holidng my breath, the trajectory of the last 10 years has been more drivel, worse standards, more pizs-taking from HMRC.

1socrates1

Thanks guys for the info and the laugh!

DebbieR

All post is scanned when it comes in and goes onto a digital service. As long as you've put your national insurance number/tax reference on your letter the person you speak to at HMRC should be able to search for the piece of post and give you an idea of how long it will be before they reply. If you have a personal tax account you may be able to track your letter yourself or for a general guide you can use this:

http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/tools/progress-tool/index.htm

Wayne_O_Mac

DebbieR wrote: »

All post is scanned when it comes in and goes onto a digital service.

Are you sure about that? chrismac1 said it sits in a tray for weeks. He's an accountant, and they never make things up.

chrismac1

Fair point. It does not necessarily sit in a tray for weeks. Sometimes they lose it totally never to be seen again. Because of the silly way it is organised mail addressed to a given tax office does not usually actually go there. The result of this is there have been occassions where an entire van load of mail going from one HMRC office to another has gone astray.

Think of an idiotic way to run a business, and double it, and you still are not quite as idiotic as HMRC top brass.

1socrates1

I wanted to give some quick feedback. I posted the letter to HMRC on 15 December last year; a lady from HMRC phoned me yesterday and hopefully has now resolved the issue. So it was around 2 months turnaround. Also beware she phoned me with the number withheld and I was almost not going to answer the call, good thing I did!