Apparently I don’t exist

Bronze

My employers applied for furlough for me at the beginning. They’ve been having trouble getting information from HMRC. They finally got a definitive reply yesterday and that was that I don’t exist. Apparently there has been problems with real time information going from sage accounting & payroll system to the HMRC and so they say there is no record of me working for my employers. My employers have offered to show them proof, but according to HMRC payslips and P60s could be back dated and faked so they could commit fraud even with SAGE backing them up. The money coming into my account each month also presumably didn’t happen. Apparently there is no appeals process so that’s that according to HMRC.
I should add, I’m not going to put pressure on my employers. It’s a not for profit that still has massive expenses at this time with no income as such and they’re having to do all the work without us. 

But, money is also tight with my husband being on 80%. It wasn’t a huge amount, not enough to pay tax on, but it fed my four teenagers so you can imagine how not having it is impacting on us. 

Is it true, is there no appeals process? Is there anything they or I can do? 

Thanks

Jeremy535897

Have you logged into your personal tax account and checked whether anything is showing up there?

mobilejo

That's a real shame. My initial thought was "surely if HMRC are receiving PAYE tax from the employer, they must have known you existed", but if there is no tax due on your pay, then it could have gone on for years and they would never know you existed.

This seems like a case for a manual review/appeal if ever there was one, but it would require the employer to push for it and I note what you say about not wanting to pressure them.

I hope that this can be resolved for you, admin errors like this should not be the reason that you don't get paid.

Bronze

Jeremy535897 said:

Have you logged into your personal tax account and checked whether anything is showing up there?

I hadn’t. There’s nothing there. I hadn’t even thought to look before as I don’t pay tax. 

Jeremy535897

Do check your personal tax account. What was your weekly pay rate? Did you get payslips and a P60?

Bronze

I’m just adding my employers

I have my p60 in front of me. My pay varies as I started one day a week in November but was doing two before lock down. I also don’t work all school holidays.

unholyangel

It doesn't matter if they were paying you, or even if they were making paye deductions. The only thing that matters is whether they sent an RTI (with you included on that RTI submission) on or before the 19th march.

I'm sorry to say, but it sounds very much like your employer's mistake and nothing at all to do with hmrc. If your employer had sent such a submission then even if hmrc didn't receive it at the time, they'd have a submission reference number to locate the submission and prove it. 

However, that is only the rules on what your employer can reclaim under the scheme. What your employer must pay you is determined by your contract of employment and/or whatever you agreed to be paid when they furloughed you. 

Bronze

They did make the submission with me on it in time. HMRC are saying that I’m not one of their employees so they can’t claim for me.

unholyangel

Bronze said:

They did make the submission with me on it in time. HMRC are saying that I’m not one of their employees so they can’t claim for me.

Your employer may have paid you, but they apparently did not make a submission under schedule A1 of the PAYE regulations on or before the relevant date - or your employer wouldn't now be having this issue. 

Bronze

They did. When they did they were told I wasn’t on HMRC’s system as working there (or anywhere) so couldn’t claim. It’s worked for the others. They have been trying to get sense out of HMRC ever since. HMRC have finally just said tough we have nothing to say she really works there prior to the claim and so refused it.
I looked on my gateway today and it didn’t show an employer (which I’ve now added), so that backs up the idea that HMRC don’t have me on their system as employed there. 

Jeremy535897

Any wage payment forming the basis of a CJRS claim was by definition sent after 19 March so proves nothing. Is the P60 clearly generated from a payroll package? Your P60 for 2019/20 was obviously dated after 19 March. What about your P60 for 2018/19? I can't help wondering whether they didn't bother putting you through the RTI payroll if you were earning under  £118 a week.