SEISS 4th Grant No Contact

chilledsadie

Hello, I was wondering if anyone is in a similar situation regarding the 4th SEISS grant and possibly can advise what to do. I was newly self-employed 2019/20 and so the 4th grant is the first I've been invited to apply for. I got a letter on March 24th saying that within 10 days I'd be phoned to ask for ID and bank statements with proof of profits. They didn't. They said they'd send a letter after this, which they didn't. After this time, I went on their webchat and they said they'd send me an email within 10 days. They didn't. Today, I went through the same webchat and was told I'd be emailed within 15 days and my case would be closed if I did not respond to an email within 48 hours. I think this is taking me quite close to the application deadline. I'm just feeling very anxious as I see lots of people have competed the process. I have a communciation issue so would rather not try phoning them, but I'm starting to feel like it's a constant brush off. Anyone else had issues? Thanks. 

TBagpuss

I believe that the calls would come from  a withheld number and that they will use the number you gave on your tax return. Have you checked that they have the right number and have you had any missed calls from withheld numbers? 
The application deadline is the end of June so you shouldn't miss the deadline, but it may be worth logging in to your account to double check that the contact details they have for you are correct, and then contact them via the webchat to set out the issue and ask if there is an email address or link that you can use to upload your documents. IF phone is not an option then explain this and ask about accessibility options. Do you live with anyone who could phone on your behalf? You'd have to speak briefly to authorise HMRC to talk to them.

sparklep0ny

TBagpuss said:

I believe that the calls would come from  a withheld number and that they will use the number you gave on your tax return. Have you checked that they have the right number and have you had any missed calls from withheld numbers? 
The application deadline is the end of June so you shouldn't miss the deadline, but it may be worth logging in to your account to double check that the contact details they have for you are correct, and then contact them via the webchat to set out the issue and ask if there is an email address or link that you can use to upload your documents. IF phone is not an option then explain this and ask about accessibility options. Do you live with anyone who could phone on your behalf? You'd have to speak briefly to authorise HMRC to talk to them.

The deadline is June 1st.

JJC1956

chilledsadie said:

Hello, I was wondering if anyone is in a similar situation regarding the 4th SEISS grant and possibly can advise what to do. I was newly self-employed 2019/20 and so the 4th grant is the first I've been invited to apply for. I got a letter on March 24th saying that within 10 days I'd be phoned to ask for ID and bank statements with proof of profits. They didn't. They said they'd send a letter after this, which they didn't. After this time, I went on their webchat and they said they'd send me an email within 10 days. They didn't. Today, I went through the same webchat and was told I'd be emailed within 15 days and my case would be closed if I did not respond to an email within 48 hours. I think this is taking me quite close to the application deadline. I'm just feeling very anxious as I see lots of people have competed the process. I have a communciation issue so would rather not try phoning them, but I'm starting to feel like it's a constant brush off. Anyone else had issues? Thanks. 

You’re not alone, half the country seems to have problems with HMRC.
Getting ahead, do you have your Self-assessment Unique Taxpayer Reference (UTR) you also need your Government Gateway User ID and Password plus obviously your National Insurance number? If you have that lot then you are halfway there.
Did you file your own accounts or did an accountant do it for you, they can’t apply but they can point you in the right direction.
I think you need to get someone to talk to them direct whilst in your company and definitely make contact with them every single day, they are probably working from home, I believe that HMRC took on 600 extra staff to deal with newly self employed, so they are probably not even trained in dealing with such queries, if you are lucky you might even get through to someone experienced that will deal with your problem rather than fobbing you off with ridiculous 10 and 15 day timeframes.
PS My accountant sent me an email informing me that there is a very sophisticated SEISS Scam in operation, so be careful, don’t answer dodgy looking emails, log on to the HMRC website. 

MattMattMattUK

JJC1956 said:

You’re not alone, half the country seems to have problems with HMRC.

I think that might be just a slight exaggeration. The only people I know in real life who have an issue with HMRC are people who caused the issue themselves, and even then there are very few of those. Most people find HMRC do their job, usually efficiently and quickly, even if I do not find any pleasure in having to pay them considerable sums of money.