Copy of Cheque

lindabea

xylophone wrote: »

Your husband can complain.

https://www.gov.uk/complain-about-hmrc

He already started writing them a complaints letter. Not sure if it's worth the time and effort though just to get an apology. At best, that's all he's likely to get but we'll see. I'll keep an open mind and hope to be pleasantly surprised. It might even restore my confidence in their credibility. :rotfl:

For now though, we're both relieved that the cheque has been cashed by the intended recipient, as otherwise, I'm sure neither HMRC nor the bank would have taken any responsibility to reimburse my partner. He could have even had a CIFAS marker as a victim of fraud. The implications could have had serious consequences.

I forgot to add that all this distress/anxiety, time on the phone with the bank and wasted time talking to HMRC is caused by HMRC's incompetence. If they did their job properly, we would not have been in this predicament.

Dazed_and_confused

Has your husband ever (as in since Self Assessment first started twenty+ years ago) needed to file a Self Assessment return?

lindabea

Dazed_and_confused wrote: »

Has your husband ever (as in since Self Assessment first started twenty+ years ago) needed to file a Self Assessment return?

Yes - a long time ago, but when he then semi retired and his income dropped, they took him off SA. As I said in an earlier post, he asked them to be on SA but they told him he no longer qualifies their criteria for SA.

When he logs onto his online tax account, he can see his UTR number.

Dazed_and_confused

And is his money held on his Self Assessment account?

lindabea

What I don't understand is why people on PAYE are not allowed to settle their tax bill by bank transfer. Someone said that PAYE is an old system and can only handle payments by cheque and complicated to explain why. But what is so difficult about giving out a sort code and account number for a payment to be transferred. After all, the cheque must be paid into a bank account with a sort code and account number. So what is the problem?

lindabea

Dazed_and_confused wrote: »

And is his money held on his Self Assessment account?

No. He doesn't have an SA account. He can only see a UTR number when he signs into his online PAYE tax account

Dazed_and_confused

People on PAYE are able to pay their tax bills online.

HMRC have a system for this however it is clear from your husband's issue that it doesn't apply to everybody (the second link in particular covers this possibility).

Has he checked his Self Assessment account?

https://www.gov.uk/simple-assessment

https://www.gov.uk/tax-overpayments-and-underpayments/if-you-owe-tax

Dazed_and_confused

Just seen your next post.

If he has a UTR then he does have a Self Assessment account.

It might be worth him phoning HMRC.

Don't mention anything about the contents of this thread

Provide HMRC with his UTR and ask if he has any credit left on his Self Assessment account.

The answer will presumably be either no (this issue isn't any further forward)

Or yes. And fingers crossed it is the amount of his cheque (or even more!).

lindabea

Dazed_and_confused wrote: »

Or yes. And fingers crossed it is the amount of his cheque (or even more!).

Thank you Dazed and Confused for this suggestion. I wonder if that's what may have happened. The cheque payment may have been allocated to his dormant SA account. I say dormant because when he's on the PAYE online account, there's a link to self assessment but when he clicks on it, he gets the message 'You are not registered for self assessment'

He has been tempted to proceed with the registration, but he's been told by HMRC that he doesn't meet the criteria and doesn't want to make matters worse. And it's true - that link you gave me in your previous post, he doesn't meet the 3 specified conditions to allow him to make online payments.

unholyangel

lindabea wrote: »

Thank you Dazed and Confused for this suggestion. I wonder if that's what may have happened. The cheque payment may have been allocated to his dormant SA account. I say dormant because when he's on the PAYE online account, there's a link to self assessment but when he clicks on it, he gets the message 'You are not registered for self assessment'

He has been tempted to proceed with the registration, but he's been told by HMRC that he doesn't meet the criteria and doesn't want to make matters worse. And it's true - that link you gave me in your previous post, he doesn't meet the 3 specified conditions to allow him to make online payments.

What reference number did he put on the back? His national insurance number or his UTR?