HMRC response time - what is reasonable?

Cell

Hi

I was made redundant last year and have essentially retired. I overpaid tax last year and have submitted an online Form 50 (I think)  for a refund. The document has been received and a target date of 7th July provided. Now that date has passed all it says is that they are either 'doing technical work on it' or are 'busier than usual'. No date has been given at all for a resolution or update.

Quite simply when do you think it would be reasonable to chase up? It's a month now and I thought I read somewhere of a 30 day turnaround period but I can't find that so may have got the wrong end of the stick.

Times are difficult and I don't want to seem pushy, but equally other people can be, and I don't want to get pushed down the line!

Many thanks for any advice.

Thrugelmir

Chasing is unlikely to achieve anything. You'll be in the queue with everybody else. The more time HMRC staff spend talking on the phone the less productive work they'll be able to do everyday. 

Cell

Yeah, which is why I was asking. There comes a point though, surely?

It's a vicious circle. The question is how long is too long, especially as they have simply missed their target date but rather unhelpfully told me that it's because they're working on it without any further time scale.

Two months, three, six? I haven't had any personal dealings with HMRC for twenty plus years so was simply asking for help from people who may have had a similar issue.

tibbles209

In the past I have typically had a reply around a month or so after the target date. It's a busy time of year, I'm in the queue too but we just need to be patient.

Marcon

Cell said:

Hi

I was made redundant last year and have essentially retired. I overpaid tax last year and have submitted an online Form 50 (I think)  for a refund. The document has been received and a target date of 7th July provided. Now that date has passed all it says is that they are either 'doing technical work on it' or are 'busier than usual'. No date has been given at all for a resolution or update.

Quite simply when do you think it would be reasonable to chase up? It's a month now and I thought I read somewhere of a 30 day turnaround period but I can't find that so may have got the wrong end of the stick.

Times are difficult and I don't want to seem pushy, but equally other people can be, and I don't want to get pushed down the line!

Many thanks for any advice.

 Assuming you contacted them on 14 June, the expected date for a reply (sorry!) is by 7 November.

Link in case anyone else wants to get an estimate of when they might get a reply to their query: http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/tools/progress-tool/index.htm

Dazed_and_C0nfused

Cell said:

Hi

I was made redundant last year and have essentially retired. I overpaid tax last year and have submitted an online Form 50 (I think)  for a refund. The document has been received and a target date of 7th July provided. Now that date has passed all it says is that they are either 'doing technical work on it' or are 'busier than usual'. No date has been given at all for a resolution or update.

Quite simply when do you think it would be reasonable to chase up? It's a month now and I thought I read somewhere of a 30 day turnaround period but I can't find that so may have got the wrong end of the stick.

Times are difficult and I don't want to seem pushy, but equally other people can be, and I don't want to get pushed down the line!

Many thanks for any advice.

I presume you mean form P50.

That is really for people wishing to claim during the tax year, not once it has finished.

HMRC will likely automatically review things and send you details of any tax overpaid long before the P50 is looked at.

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

fly-catchers

Two months for me..

sheslookinhot

My estimated response date from HMRC site is 3rd week in October, 19 weeks. I won’t get bent out of shape about it.

sheslookinhot

My estimated response date from HMRC site is 3rd week in October, 19 weeks. I won’t get bent out of shape about it.

dunstonh

I was made redundant last year and have essentially retired. I overpaid tax last year and have submitted an online Form 50 (I think)  for a refund.

I don't think P50 was the right form to use.  Indeed, this didn't actually need a form.  It's just part of routine self-assessment where a notification was the only thing required.  Hopefully, the people that deal with the P50s will pass your details onto the right department and it will be looked at under the self-assessment side in due course.    Indeed, if this tax overpayment was under PAYE, it is probably already in the system to be dealt with automatically.

Quite simply when do you think it would be reasonable to chase up? It's a month now and I thought I read somewhere of a 30 day turnaround period but I can't find that so may have got the wrong end of the stick.

No.  Give it a chance. It

Cell

Thank you for your responses above. 

Looks like I'll just have to wait, but at least I know.