HMRC - how long for refunds at the moment?

johnnybaloney

I didn't have much luck. Called again, the adviser said 6 months wait was a long time indeed, created some work item to hopefully speed it up. Then the call dropped. I called again, another person answered, she said nothing could be done, they don't give any feedback or updates, they don't know the length of the process, the length of their queue was 80,000 claims, she couldn't call the internal team since they don't answer calls and there was no estimate or deadline for the completion of my claim. Wonderful.

Jeremy535897

The impact of the Autumn statement will be to add millions more taxpayers to those having to complete a self assessment tax return, or pay small amounts of tax on dividends via simple assessments, at which point HMRC will be totally overwhelmed.

yorkiechick

Jeremy535897 said:

The impact of the Autumn statement will be to add millions more taxpayers to those having to complete a self assessment tax return, or pay small amounts of tax on dividends via simple assessments, at which point HMRC will be totally overwhelmed.

Then add on MTD for ITSA, when you know it isn't going to run smoothly..... 

johnnybaloney

After another call in December I finally was sent the P800. So that's just over 8 months' wait in my case. I'd advise calling HMRC periodically otherwise there is no way of knowing what's happening with the claim, if it got lost, stuck or something else.

Pennywise

yorkiechick said:

Jeremy535897 said:

The impact of the Autumn statement will be to add millions more taxpayers to those having to complete a self assessment tax return, or pay small amounts of tax on dividends via simple assessments, at which point HMRC will be totally overwhelmed.

Then add on MTD for ITSA, when you know it isn't going to run smoothly..... 

Thankfully MTD for ITSA has been delayed again for another couple of years and turnover threshold increased, so we don't need to worry about that until 2026 now.  A help but it would have been better if they'd shelved the useless thing as we're now over 10 years behind schedule and HMRC still have no clue as to how to make it work.  And even if it does work, it won't provide the "solution" to the problem it's aimed at solving.  They're clueless, but as I say, at least it's delayed a bit longer.

Jeremy535897

I think that there has been a hard look at MTD for ITSA and it is a case of the emperor having no clothes. There will need to be a massive investment by HMRC that just isn't going to happen any time soon.

Grumpy_chap

I have not heard of MTD for ITSA before this thread. 
It looks like an idea that individuals would submit quarterly mini-tax returns.  Is that correct?
I am not quite sure what HMRC would gain from that all the while the assessment of income tax liability is on an annual basis so decisions about pension contributions, dividends (for those with own companies) and such like will still often be made in March.
This will just create a lot more paperwork that has to be administered and very little else.
If the idea is to improve HMRC cashflow, that would be better done by reducing the time for submitting tax return and making balancing payment.  There is a limit to how early this can be as statements, employment forms need to be available, but could be sooner than the end of January.

I actually only visited the thread to give an answer to the question in the title.  I submitted my tax return 10th December and received the tax refund Wednesday this week, so that's about 10 days which seems quite fast to me.  I realise, the original OP is probably not still seeking an answer to the question, but there it is for everyone else.

Jeremy535897

The stated purpose of quarterly returns under MTD for ITSA is to make people record transactions more frequently, and thereby reduce the risk of errors, and be able to plan for income tax payments better as the quarterly returns will generate a tax estimate from HMRC. HMRC have always denied that the quarterly returns are a precursor to making income tax payable quarterly. For people with trades that vary seasonally, or where there are irregular purchases of items qualifying for capital allowances, such tax estimates have little value. The fact that you had not heard of MTD for ITSA before this thread (it was first announced in 2015 to be introduced in 2018), like millions of other people, is one of the many issues bedevilling the whole project, the most important of which is a massive unbudgeted cost in HMRC for the technology.

sheslookinhot

I’ve been waiting since mid-June for a tax refund claim. PTA suggests I would have received a response by mid-August.