tax compliance check time limit

josh587

hi i was wondering if anyone on here could give me some advice.
i recieved a compliance check letter in feb asking for a bunch of stuff regarding my business, which i sent off a week later, i was told to wait until the information was reviewed and they contacted me back.

the last date of correspondance from them was on the 14th last month, i was just wondering just how long i should be waiting for them to get back to me?

any advice would be appreciated.

chrismac1

3 months or so is about par for the course.

josh587

do you mean 3 months from the date they opened the case? or 3 months from the last correspondance date?

Pennywise

They typically take a couple of months to reply to each bit of correspondence. Sometimes a lot quicker, sometimes a lot slower. Really depends on the person dealing with it at their end.

chrismac1

From when you post a letter you can expect a reply on or around 90 days. Note that the reply will typically be dated 10 to 14 days before you physically receive it, it will sit in the HMRC postroom for over a week before anyone can be arrrsed to post it.

josh587

thanks, its been over one month already.
Should i just wait for them to get back to me or should i be proactive and contact them and see whats happening regarding my case, if it goes passed the 3 month mark since the last date they contacted me?

Pennywise

josh587 wrote: »

if it goes passed the 3 month mark since the last date they contacted me?

Doesn't matter when they first contacted you. Their "clock" for replying re-sets for each stage, so if they have a target of 6 weeks to reply to a letter, it's 6 weeks from every letter you send them. Tax enquiries/compliance checks can drag on a very long time. If you've had no reply within a couple of months of sending them your reply, then it's time to chase.

josh587

im aware that sometimes officers get moved around departments, would this have any effect on my case? or will they still definitley be contacting me back within the time limit as you stated.

its been one month now since last correspondance, and ive not heard anything back, do you suggest i wait another 2 months before contacting them to see whats going on with my case?

thanks

dori2o

chrismac1 wrote: »

From when you post a letter you can expect a reply on or around 90 days. Note that the reply will typically be dated 10 to 14 days before you physically receive it, it will sit in the HMRC postroom for over a week before anyone can be arrrsed to post it.

Considering written letters no longer go through post rooms your comment is complete and utter rubbish, but thats nothing new.

chrismac1

On average if a letter from HMRC is dated 18 May 2017 you will receive it on 30 May 2017. This is a national phenomenom commented on by many tax agents not just me.

It is presumed that such letters are printed and just sit around somewhere in HMRC until someone can get off their fat backside and post them. Whether technically that room is the post room, the toilet or just the entrance hall I could not say.

dori2o

chrismac1 wrote: »

On average if a letter from HMRC is dated 18 May 2017 you will receive it on 30 May 2017. This is a national phenomenom commented on by many tax agents not just me.

It is presumed that such letters are printed and just sit around somewhere in HMRC until someone can get off their fat backside and post them. Whether technically that room is the post room, the toilet or just the entrance hall I could not say.

All written letters are issued by an automated process.

They are no longer manually printed and put in envelopes by hand, the automated process means all letters are automatically printed, packaged and batched from one central location, they are then collected by RM and enter their processing systems and delivered within RM's 2nd class post timescales which can be upto 15 working days.