MCI error when trying to get pension forecast

Brie

Just looking for some reassurance....

I've been trying to get a state pension forecast for myself and the OH.  Mine took about 2 minutes. Nice! 

Tried to get the OH's and needed to reset the government gateway thing and got through that and went to request the forecast and got an MCI error.  

Tried for a couple of hours to get on to their chat line but no success.  Finally gave in and rang HMRC and was redirected to a future forecast number.  They couldn't help as there was an MCI error on the account.  So rang HMRC which kept trying to direct me back to future forecasts.  Eventually (45 minutes on hold, I suppose it could be worse) got through to someone who of course wouldn't talk to me so put OH on the line to pass security (asked and answered the same questions I answered with the automated system).  

Eventually when I was able to talk to them I was told that all they needed to do was remove the MCI error.  And when I asked what it was about they refused to tell me anything.  "we can't give out any information regarding this".  When I questioned this and voiced my concern she eventually agreed that it was "just a system error". 

Now she could have just said that but she'd made it sound mysterious.  Furthermore when talking to my OH she asked if there had been an attempt to set up a tax account last year.  Now neither of us know what a tax account is or why anyone might need one.  Neither of us have ever had one but it sounds like one had been applied for.  

Can any of you more worldly individuals enlighten me please?  What's a tax account?  (I'm thinking a way to submit ones taxes online perhaps?)  I'm concerned that there may have been a fraud attempt but HMRC seemed to dismiss this idea (after having planted it).  I'm assuming the the OH's NI No is completely unique (or is supposed to be) but we did have an issue a number of years back when we discovered that there was a serious ex offender with the exact same name and DoB.  So some sort of nefarious business could be possible.  Or maybe it was just a low lever fraud attempt?

fyi - MCI = Manual Contact Indicator.  Of course there's nothing on the HMRC website that tells you that's what this is.

xylophone

https://www.gov.uk/personal-tax-account

https://www.gov.uk/hmrc-internal-manuals/paye-manual/paye103065

Brie

thank you @xylophone
but it doesn't answer the question.  Why would OH need such an account? No one in this house would have set one up.

OH is only in receipt of carers' allowance of about £265 a month (and has been for a few years now).  so no tax to pay.  no employment as such so no PAYE.  never received any tax notices/updates, no P60s.  Since.....when???

the only other thing that I can think of is if HMRC or another gov.co.uk agency sent a letter to our previous address (4 years next month) expecting to get a reply then maybe that why there's a flag here.  happy to hear of other ideas.

Dazed_and_C0nfused

Brie said:

Just looking for some reassurance....

I've been trying to get a state pension forecast for myself and the OH.  Mine took about 2 minutes. Nice! 

Tried to get the OH's and needed to reset the government gateway thing and got through that and went to request the forecast and got an MCI error.  

Tried for a couple of hours to get on to their chat line but no success.  Finally gave in and rang HMRC and was redirected to a future forecast number.  They couldn't help as there was an MCI error on the account.  So rang HMRC which kept trying to direct me back to future forecasts.  Eventually (45 minutes on hold, I suppose it could be worse) got through to someone who of course wouldn't talk to me so put OH on the line to pass security (asked and answered the same questions I answered with the automated system).  

Eventually when I was able to talk to them I was told that all they needed to do was remove the MCI error.  And when I asked what it was about they refused to tell me anything.  "we can't give out any information regarding this".  When I questioned this and voiced my concern she eventually agreed that it was "just a system error". 

Now she could have just said that but she'd made it sound mysterious.  Furthermore when talking to my OH she asked if there had been an attempt to set up a tax account last year.  Now neither of us know what a tax account is or why anyone might need one.  Neither of us have ever had one but it sounds like one had been applied for.  

Can any of you more worldly individuals enlighten me please?  What's a tax account?  (I'm thinking a way to submit ones taxes online perhaps?)  I'm concerned that there may have been a fraud attempt but HMRC seemed to dismiss this idea (after having planted it).  I'm assuming the the OH's NI No is completely unique (or is supposed to be) but we did have an issue a number of years back when we discovered that there was a serious ex offender with the exact same name and DoB.  So some sort of nefarious business could be possible.  Or maybe it was just a low lever fraud attempt?

fyi - MCI = Manual Contact Indicator.  Of course there's nothing on the HMRC website that tells you that's what this is.

It's because no such thing exists.

There is a Manual Correspondence Indicator which prevents access to a Personal Tax Account but once removed OH should be able to access his PTA fairly quickly.

Previously discussed here,

https://www.accountingweb.co.uk/any-answers/not-so-much-a-question-more-of-a-heads-up

xylophone

Why would OH need such an account?

In your original post you said

Now neither of us know what a tax account is or why anyone might need one.  

The link explains what a personal tax account is and says that its purpose is

to check your records and manage your details with HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC).

The second link covers what HMRC term "indicators" including

Manual Correspondence Indicator 

and also

the Manual Code Indicator 

either of which seemed a possibility in your husband's case.

Dazed_and_C0nfused

Everyone has a Personal Tax Account, whether you choose to use it (when it can be accessed!) is upto you.

Brie

Thanks everyone for the responses.

It sounds a bit like one of those things that "everyone knows" even when everyone doesn't.  And the individuals I talked to called the MCI a manual contact indicator so I guess even those working in the gov don't know either!! 

As for everyone needing a tax account...never occurred to me that it would be related at all to getting a state pension forecast.  I've only heard people talking about them due to earning over the odds and needing to file tax returns.

In any case - hopefully I'll now be able to get the info we need for future planning!!