How to guarantee a letter gets to HMRC !

smallzoo2

I have now used Royal Mail three ( yes three ! ) times to try and get a letter to HMRC

The first two were signed for but when I checked the tracking neither left the actual post office !. I got my £4 back but thats not the point the letter was important

..so this time I sent it guaranteed delivery next day which cost me £8

checked the tracking and its been sat in North West Midlands MC for three days with no other tracking info.

I have made another formal complaint to royal mail

Potentially if the letter doesnt get to HMRC this week it could cost me a few hundred pounds

Any other suggestions of how to guarantee HMRC get my letter ( or email of course )

Thanks

JGB1955

What are you trying to achieve?

smallzoo2

Get the letter there so they can read it 

swingaloo

Its probably a case of the system not being updated rather than your letter not getting there. 

Signed for is a waste of money when sending to a big company as the amount of mail they get daily means it gets delivered in sacks and so its the the sacks rather than individual letters are signed for. 

They are not going to employ someone, nor have a postie stood there waiting whilst hundreds of letters are signed for individually.

MattMattMattUK

smallzoo2 said:

Get the letter there so they can read it 

What is the point of the letter though? With HMRC a letter is pretty much the worst option, apart from maybe carrier pigeon or signal flares. Generally via their website is the best option, then phone, with every other method far behind those.

smallzoo2

MattMattMattUK said:

smallzoo2 said:

Get the letter there so they can read it 

What is the point of the letter though? With HMRC a letter is pretty much the worst option, apart from maybe carrier pigeon or signal flares. Generally via their website is the best option, then phone, with every other method far behind those.

I wish that was true.. their website does not allow me to discuss the mistakes they have made, the phone ( if I get through ) is also poor as the last two people I spoke to had very poor knowledge even about the basics, they didnt even understand that a pension was not another employer or what on earth a pension drawdown was. I spent an hour back and forth getting nowhere.

I tax advisor ( for free ) said the best option is to make sure you have a formal complaint on file before anything else

thanks though

RunsFromRobots

smallzoo2 said:

MattMattMattUK said:

smallzoo2 said:

Get the letter there so they can read it 

What is the point of the letter though? With HMRC a letter is pretty much the worst option, apart from maybe carrier pigeon or signal flares. Generally via their website is the best option, then phone, with every other method far behind those.

I wish that was true.. their website does not allow me to discuss the mistakes they have made, the phone ( if I get through ) is also poor as the last two people I spoke to had very poor knowledge even about the basics, they didnt even understand that a pension was not another employer or what on earth a pension drawdown was. I spent an hour back and forth getting nowhere.

I tax advisor ( for free ) said the best option is to make sure you have a formal complaint on file before anything else

thanks though

It sounds like they aren't following their own Charter: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/hmrc-charter/the-hmrc-charter

20122013

smallzoo2 said:

MattMattMattUK said:

smallzoo2 said:

Get the letter there so they can read it 

What is the point of the letter though? With HMRC a letter is pretty much the worst option, apart from maybe carrier pigeon or signal flares. Generally via their website is the best option, then phone, with every other method far behind those.

I wish that was true.. their website does not allow me to discuss the mistakes they have made, the phone ( if I get through ) is also poor as the last two people I spoke to had very poor knowledge even about the basics, they didnt even understand that a pension was not another employer or what on earth a pension drawdown was. I spent an hour back and forth getting nowhere.

I tax advisor ( for free ) said the best option is to make sure you have a formal complaint on file before anything else

thanks though

The website maybe a good place to state what you have said here (you do not have to provide the details of your complaint), so HMRC can take note and you have evidence that you have notified them as such.  It is up to them to get in touch as you have started the clock. 

Isthisforreal99

smallzoo2 said:

MattMattMattUK said:

smallzoo2 said:

Get the letter there so they can read it 

What is the point of the letter though? With HMRC a letter is pretty much the worst option, apart from maybe carrier pigeon or signal flares. Generally via their website is the best option, then phone, with every other method far behind those.

I wish that was true.. their website does not allow me to discuss the mistakes they have made, the phone ( if I get through ) is also poor as the last two people I spoke to had very poor knowledge even about the basics, they didnt even understand that a pension was not another employer or what on earth a pension drawdown was. I spent an hour back and forth getting nowhere.

I tax advisor ( for free ) said the best option is to make sure you have a formal complaint on file before anything else

thanks though

Perhaps if you explained what the actual issue is and put it in a more appropriate forum (such as Cutting Tax) you may get more pointers.

Although I can agree that a pension is not an employer the mechanics of PAYE means the same principles apply and a tax code should be operated against it. A drawdown pension is no different to any other pension when it comes to tax (state pension excluded).

To be honest if you are as obtuse on the phone as you have been on this thread then it's easy to see why spent an hour 'going back and forth'.

Momogeew

smallzoo2 said:

I have now used Royal Mail three ( yes three ! ) times to try and get a letter to HMRC

The first two were signed for but when I checked the tracking neither left the actual post office !. I got my £4 back but thats not the point the letter was important

..so this time I sent it guaranteed delivery next day which cost me £8

checked the tracking and its been sat in North West Midlands MC for three days with no other tracking info.

I have made another formal complaint to royal mail

Potentially if the letter doesnt get to HMRC this week it could cost me a few hundred pounds

Any other suggestions of how to guarantee HMRC get my letter ( or email of course )

Thanks

Unrelated to HMRC but very related to Royal Mail - Numerous times i'm tracking items that have gone to the North West Midlands MC, it will bounce around there for a few days before arriving to me in the South West.
The latest debacle is a valuable item being sent to a delivery office in the South East of the country, it bounced around there for 3 weeks.
Royal Mail are the most unreliable option for out of town service but all the local services are fine.

smallzoo2

20122013 said:

smallzoo2 said:

MattMattMattUK said:

smallzoo2 said:

Get the letter there so they can read it 

What is the point of the letter though? With HMRC a letter is pretty much the worst option, apart from maybe carrier pigeon or signal flares. Generally via their website is the best option, then phone, with every other method far behind those.

I wish that was true.. their website does not allow me to discuss the mistakes they have made, the phone ( if I get through ) is also poor as the last two people I spoke to had very poor knowledge even about the basics, they didnt even understand that a pension was not another employer or what on earth a pension drawdown was. I spent an hour back and forth getting nowhere.

I tax advisor ( for free ) said the best option is to make sure you have a formal complaint on file before anything else

thanks though

The website maybe a good place to state what you have said here (you do not have to provide the details of your complaint), so HMRC can take note and you have evidence that you have notified them as such.  It is up to them to get in touch as you have started the clock. 

How can I leave a not on the website.. Ive not seen that option ?