HMRC Paid tax rebate into someone else's bank account

CharlieCCCC

I have recently been issued a tax refund which has been paid into he wrong account, the last two digits of the sort code was wrong.

I have managed to find out that the money has been paid into a valid account with the same bank, just a different branch.

I have contacted my bank and said only HMRC can do anything about it. I have contacted HMRC and they have told me I can only contact them through writing to them.

How quickly could this possibly be resolved? And how would they go about doing it? I am very concerned I won't get my money back as it's a rather large amount.

YorkshireBoy

Who made the error?...you or HMRC?

wizzywig27

Yeah I had one recently and had to enter details online.

On a side note can I ask what the first letter of your surname is? Mine was done in June and I'm a H whereas OH may be entitled to one and she is a P

CharlieCCCC

My accountant

jonesMUFCforever

CharlieCCCC wrote: »

My accountant

:eek:Then the accountant should be sorting it out - surely?

Geoff1963

I'd ask the accountant to lend you the money, while he goes about recovering it.

I thought that an account number was unique ; so the sort code was a check of it, rather than a mistake in the sort code finding a different valid account. Now I'm worried.

PeacefulWaters

Geoff1963 wrote: »

I'd ask the accountant to lend you the money, while he goes about recovering it.

I thought that an account number was unique ; so the sort code was a check of it, rather than a mistake in the sort code finding a different valid account. Now I'm worried.

You thought wrong. There are only 100 million account number combinations and YorkshireBoy alone has utilised several of those for himself.

bigadaj

PeacefulWaters wrote: »

You thought wrong. There are only 100 million account number combinations and YorkshireBoy alone has utilised several of those for himself.

Several hundred thousand I believe.

EachPenny

Every time I have to put bank account details on a form or website I am nervous about making a mistake. I normally check the details at least three times, and if possible copy and past the account number and sort code rather than typing it in.

I've often thought that there must be a way to generate some kind of check code - taking the 12 digits and producing say three or four letters which are the same every time the account number and sort code are entered into a computer, and that the letters wouldn't match if any of the digits were incorrect.

So in a similar way to typing in your postcode and the address is filled in, you enter the sort code and account number and three letters appear in an adjacent box. You know your code is say "VKG", you see "VKG" you know you have the right account details.

I'm not sure why, but it seems people are better at remembering and checking letters than they are digits... hence the popularity of letters in UK vehicle registration 'numbers' for example.

Similar techniques are used all the time in electronic communications to ensure the data has been accurately sent, so it isn't rocket science, even if I've managed to make it sound like a complicated idea

PeacefulWaters

bigadaj wrote: »

Several hundred thousand I believe.

While there are, I believe, certain numbers excluded, running the full range of:

00000000
00000001
00000002
To
99999999

Has exactly 100,000,000 different numbers in the complete sequence.

B_G_B

I think bigadaj was referring specifically to YB's collection of accounts.