Dealing with the HMRC

ps124

Hi All, I hope I am posting this in the correct section.

I was recently handed a high income benefit charge repayment and penalty. I've repaid the amounts but appealed the penalty charges as per the instructions on the letter from HMRC. I sent the appeal sometime in July as per the deadlines on the letter, and have recorded delivery/postage evidence.

However, since then, I keep receiving frequent letters from their Debt management department to say I haven't paid the fine, and interest will build up. The letters are getting more frequent with RED warning notices not to ignore the letters. I'm assuming they will hand to a debt management company soon.

I've spent hours on the phone with HMRC - literally hours going from department to department, receiving and providing multiple reference numbers, but no department is talking to each other and no one seems to know what is going on. I've never experienced anything so frustrating.

From what I understand, the high income benefit charge team have received my re-payments, but have said that due to the high court case which has been delayed, no appeals have been opened or acknowledged as they are waiting for the outcome.

However the letters are coming from HMRC Debt Management, who when I call, no nothing about it, can't check anything, and won't stop/pause debt. I've sent in an email appeal as advised, I've called every department they ask me to call and notify, but nothing seems to happen. The latest being this morning the debt management team asked me to send in another appeal!

Can anyone advise on what I need to do or how I resolve please?

tacpot12

Make a formal complaint to HMRC and complain to your MP. 

ps124

Update: Debt management called me to say I can email through my appeal letter again and they are going to put my case on review for 3 months so I will not receive any further letters. Not confident anything will happen as I've been promised this before so I would like to take some pro-active action.

ps124

tacpot12 said:

Make a formal complaint to HMRC and complain to your MP. 

Please tell me how from your experiences as if they are not acknowledging any emails or letters, I'm not confident they will do anything about a complaint.

tacpot12

You need to write a letter of complaint to this address: 

HM Revenue and Customs - Child Benefit Office
PO Box 1
Newcastle Upon Tyne
NE88 1AA
United Kingdom

Mark the front of the letter with the word COMPLAINT.

If you don't complain, they will feel free to ignore you as it is clearly not an important enough issue for your to write and complain about it, or to raise it with your MP.