Probate Registry & HMRC timescales

badger09

First, I'd like to say I've found this board incredibly helpful during a stressful time. I'm much more comfortable on the Budgeting & Bank Accounts & Savings & Investments boards:o

I submitted Probate Application (to Birmingham if that's relevant) and IHT400 & supporting schedules on 21 May and the application cheque cleared 31 May. No IHT is payable.

I've had no contact from HMRC but assume that's where the delay is. Does anyone with recent recent experience know how long they take to either contact me for anything I've missed, or confirm to Probate Office that they can go ahead?

Also, am I correct in assuming that Probate Office won't send me the Oath information until HMRC have given them the go ahead?

(PS, retired Senior Tax Inspector so I know parts of HMRC are under extreme pressure)

Yorkshireman99

badger09 wrote: »

First, I'd like to say I've found this board incredibly helpful during a stressful time. I'm much more comfortable on the Budgeting & Bank Accounts & Savings & Investments boards:o

I submitted Probate Application (to Birmingham if that's relevant) and IHT400 & supporting schedules on 21 May and the application cheque cleared 31 May. No IHT is payable.

I've had no contact from HMRC but assume that's where the delay is. Does anyone with recent recent experience know how long they take to either contact me for anything I've missed, or confirm to Probate Office that they can go ahead?

Also, am I correct in assuming that Probate Office won't send me the Oath information until HMRC have given them the go ahead?

(PS, retired Senior Tax Inspector so I know parts of HMRC are under extreme pressure)

Sorry but nobody can tell. Until HMR&C are satified they will not release it to the Probate Office to isue the grant. Once they do the PO will contact you re the oath. This can be done at their office for free or at any solicitor who is a Notary for a cah fee of £5.

badger09

Yorkshireman99 wrote: »

Sorry but nobody can tell. Until HMR&C are satified they will not release it to the Probate Office to isue the grant. Once they do the PO will contact you re the oath. This can be done at their office for free or at any solicitor who is a Notary for a cah fee of £5.

Thanks

Yes, I know HMRC won't give Probate Office the 'all clear' until they're satisfied.

What I'm trying to establish, is how long they take to look at the IHT forms and contact me if they need anything else or are not satisfied, or to give Probate Office the go ahead.

badmemory

I'm not sure HMRC are the actual holdup here. A couple of years ago M/c was well within the timeframe (well ours was) whilst other areas were talking about delays. Is it possible that only borderline & above cases actually get referred?

Yorkshireman99

badger09 wrote: »

Thanks

Yes, I know HMRC won't give Probate Office the 'all clear' until they're satisfied.

What I'm trying to establish, is how long they take to look at the IHT forms and contact me if they need anything else or are not satisfied, or to give Probate Office the go ahead.

Sorry to say nobody knows nor can predict. Hugely frustrating but even if you lodge a formal complaint it is unlekely to make any difference. HMR&C are a la unto themselves.

badger09

badmemory wrote: »

I'm not sure HMRC are the actual holdup here. A couple of years ago M/c was well within the timeframe (well ours was) whilst other areas were talking about delays. Is it possible that only borderline & above cases actually get referred?

M/c?

The estate is not even close to IHT territory

Yorkshireman99 wrote: »

Sorry to say nobody knows nor can predict. Hugely frustrating but even if you lodge a formal complaint it is unlekely to make any difference. HMR&C are a la unto themselves.

Fair enough. I just wondered if anyone had any recent experience.

I have no grounds for a complaint:cool:

abiabc

Hi

I have very recent experience which you may find helpful.

Posted IHT 400 to HMRC Monday 30 April.

Hand delivered Probate Application to Leeds Probate Registry on Wednesday 2 May.

Received oath and invitation to make appointment 15 May. Proviso that Probate grant wouldn't be issued until IHT 421 received by Probate Registry from HMRC. Oath can be done before HMRC give clearance.

Telephoned HMRC on 21 May to see if they had received IHT 400 (they are supposed to act on this within 2 weeks of receipt - new targets) They had received them and said they had issued IHT 421 to Leeds Probate Registry on 16 May. Asked twice if they would be writing to me and they said no. Still haven't heard anything from HMRC so no news is good news. I also have no tax to pay but needed to complete IHT 400. They asked for a reference number when I rang but I said I had none as no tax due and they went ahead and found the forms on the system.

Swore oath at Leeds Thursday 24 May. Also mentioned that HMRC told me they had sent IHT 421 to them.

Received Probate Grant Thursday 1 June. They said it would be 10 working days if IHT 421 received. So it was less.

I suggest if you don't hear anything from anyone in the next week that you contact both HMRC to make sure forms have been received and Birmingham Probate Registry to see if there is a hold-up. I was paranoid about HMRC or the Royal Mail losing the forms!!

Hope this helps.

Brynsam

Might be worth giving the Probate and IHT helpline a ring: 0300 123 1072

LobsterMemory

My solicitor told me that on receiving an IHT400, it takes HMRC two weeks to open a file, then if there are no problems then they would send the receipt in about two weeks

It actually took 3 and a half weeks from sending in the form in my case

And they now give a reference number even if no IHT is due.

badger09

abiabc wrote: »

Hi

I have very recent experience which you may find helpful.

Posted IHT 400 to HMRC Monday 30 April.

Hand delivered Probate Application to Leeds Probate Registry on Wednesday 2 May.

Received oath and invitation to make appointment 15 May. Proviso that Probate grant wouldn't be issued until IHT 421 received by Probate Registry from HMRC. Oath can be done before HMRC give clearance.

Telephoned HMRC on 21 May to see if they had received IHT 400 (they are supposed to act on this within 2 weeks of receipt - new targets) They had received them and said they had issued IHT 421 to Leeds Probate Registry on 16 May. Asked twice if they would be writing to me and they said no. Still haven't heard anything from HMRC so no news is good news. I also have no tax to pay but needed to complete IHT 400. They asked for a reference number when I rang but I said I had none as no tax due and they went ahead and found the forms on the system.

Swore oath at Leeds Thursday 24 May. Also mentioned that HMRC told me they had sent IHT 421 to them.

Received Probate Grant Thursday 1 June. They said it would be 10 working days if IHT 421 received. So it was less.

I suggest if you don't hear anything from anyone in the next week that you contact both HMRC to make sure forms have been received and Birmingham Probate Registry to see if there is a hold-up. I was paranoid about HMRC or the Royal Mail losing the forms!!

Hope this helps.

Thank you so much. That is exactly the sort of response I was hoping for.

I know that the Probate Application has been received as the cheque cleared last week, but I'm always fearful of forms disappearing into HMRC black hole, and am slightly paranoid that I might have omitted something.

From your timescales, mine is already taking longer. I'll give them both a call on Friday if I haven't received anything by then.

Yorkshireman99

badger09 wrote: »

Thank you so much. That is exactly the sort of response I was hoping for.

I know that the Probate Application has been received as the cheque cleared last week, but I'm always fearful of forms disappearing into HMRC black hole, and am slightly paranoid that I might have omitted something.

From your timescales, mine is already taking longer. I'll give them both a call on Friday if I haven't received anything by then.

This is always a contentious point! Different Probate Registry offices and doubtless HMR&C ones as well vary radically in performance and time scales. Presumeably workloads vary dramaticlly so performance at one is not likely to be a guide to the speed at other offices. Utterly frustrating and the time for HMR&C to be investigated is years overdue.