waiting for tax rebate how long does it take?

bootman

Hello

Could I ask a quick question please.

I sent my p60 and copy of P11D to the tax office as I had overpaid due to change in my job and increase in personal pension contributions last year. It seems ages ago I did this. But I have heard nothing. I have tried calling either engaged or on hold for ages. Is it normal to have not heard after around 4 weeks.

I would normally have done a tax return but they do not want me to any more,payments back to me were really quick then.

thank you

System

I would expect an answer soon as they are supposed to act on post within 15 working days of receipt. However once they do action a refund on the computer it takes another week or so for the payable order/cheque as it is issued centrally. You should receive a statement giving details of the refund before you actually receive the cheque.

Pennywise

Pam17 wrote:

they are supposed to act on post within 15 working days of receipt

And I'm Santa Claus!

Some tax offices still routinely take 2-3 months to deal with correspondence, and some offices never reply until they are being chased. I work in an accountant's office and most of my time is spent chasing the IR for replies to letters. Some offices are very good, but others are truly appalling - they seem to be able to "lose" correspondence very often. Our experience is that they will either answer you quickly (i.e. within a month) or it will be very long drawn out possibly taking several months. Some offices are organised, others are not - it's as simple as that! Our longest wait is 19 months - and we are still waiting - even complaints to the customer services manager, district inspector and local MP have not solicited a proper response!

You need to keep chasing them. At least every four weeks, send a copy of your original letter and enclosures, and keep copies and dates of everything. In between chasing letters being sent, telephone them and fax them.

Alternatively, send in a tax return anyway - there is nothing to stop you completing and submitting one even if they don't ask you to do so. Then it will be processed through the normal procedures and repayment would probably be automatically issued without "human intervention" like it has for you in the past.

Eliza252

I am waiting for a tax return too - I presumed it was going to be a long haul and pretty much posted it and assumed I should just forget about it - didnt realise I actually needed to chase them as well! - ah, here we go again - more time spent listening to holding music!

jdarnes

In future I would try and file the tax return online through the self-assesment website https://online.inlandrevenue.gov.uk/index.jsp.

My last 2 tax returns were filed online and I received the refunds within a couple of weeks. With paper returns I waited 6 months or more.

The nice thing about doing the forms online is that you don't have to fill it in all at once, you can spend several days doing it as I did, then just submit it when you are ready.

sfell

My boyfriend and I posted our tax returns at the same time last year, mine took 3 months to come back, his took almost 9! At the same tax office and no known problems, excellent service!

Stonk

I fully recommend filing online, provided you have to submit a full tax return (and they owe you money). I started doing them online last year after several years by post, and the turnaround is far better.

However, it sounds like the original poster is not doing a full tax return, but taking the accelerated (haha) route for a simple case of income tax refund. I think that has to be by post, no?

Bordera

Stonk wrote:

I fully recommend filing online, provided you have to submit a full tax return (and they owe you money). I started doing them online last year after several years by post, and the turnaround is far better.

However, it sounds like the original poster is not doing a full tax return, but taking the accelerated (haha) route for a simple case of income tax refund. I think that has to be by post, no?

This is excellent advice, Submitting your tax return online and providing bank account details for your repayment to be paid into, can mean that you receive your refund within days instead of months.

bootman

Yes you are correct, I am one of the ones they decided no longer needed to file a return which I have always done and online like yourself.

I have overpaid tax 04/05 so they said I had to send p60 and copy of p11d.

I have chased and chased as advised fisrt they said had no record of my request even though a lady from the tax office had called me at home to say she needed the original p60 not a copy! I hope they dont mislay that as well.

Still waiting for a cheque though......

ctm_2

With a tax refund, you can have it paid into your bank account if you ask for it to be and give HMRC your bank details, it doesn't have to be by cheque.

tiger

mine took about 3 weeks in total,but i had to phone them every week,telling them i was desperate for some money