HMRC Incompetence

scaredofdebt

In a venting mood today.


So, I diligently did my 2017/2018 tax return in April, thinking I'd be ahead of the game. I work full time on PAYE and my return is pretty small fry, just a bit of freelancing work I do on the side, so my tax bill is only a few hundred.


I read on the HMRC site you can pay through your PAYE employer so I rang them up in April/May to set that up - I was told I'd done the return too early so that option wasn't available, so I agreed to set up a DD to make monthly payments.


Anyway, all was well, payments being made etc but I then got a letter from CCS debt collectors saying HMRC had passed the debt to them.


I checked on the government gateway (horrible website, designed by idiots) and nothing was showing, just a statement from a few months back so I rang HMRC to check and they said yes, everything is in order, just ignore the debt collectors letters, they sometimes "cross in the post"!


I've heard of crossing in the post but the DD was set up in May and I've got a letter in September about it!


Anyway, I rang CCS today and they confirmed the account with them is closed, HMRC told them to close it yesterday apparently.


It's really shoddy of HMRC, the letters could scare vulnerable people as they talk about CCJs, bailiffs etc, just posting this here is case anyone else has a similar issue.


Thanks, vent over!