HMRC online account

ET22

Earlier this year HMRC contacted me by post advising that I owed them money. When I contacted them they said it was because I had two jobs but I haven't worked since mid 2024 but assumed they must be talking about pre 2024. I set up an arrangement to pay by monthly direct debit.

Today I received an email saying that HMRC had recalculated my tax for this year. For the last two years HMRC accounts state they owe me 1500 pounds. My question is, why hasn't this just been offset against the money that they say I owe them?

I cant see a copy of the letter they sent me asking for money and I also cant see a record of the payments I have made by direct debit to them. There is no record of any debt on my HMRC online tax account. Does that money just go into a different account? How can I check the balance?

Is this reflective of how HMRC usually operate? Do I need to call them to ask them to offset it?All seems very odd.

Myci85

Are you sure the letter was legit? Did you call them on a number on the letter, or did you find a number for them yourself?

sherlock228

so you set up a budget plan with HMRC?
How certain are you that the letter was legitimate?

this says you can check the payment records yourself by looking online…do the bank details shown thereon agree with where you paid your money to?
Pay your Self Assessment tax bill: Direct Debit - GOV.UK

ET22

I was certain at the time the letter was legitimate and I set the account up online myself so I was sure as I could be that it was HMRC but I was concerned as no details are showing on my personal tax account. I have just spent over an hour and a half on the phone to them and was passed between different departments for someone then to tell me that the payments had been received but they had to search for them first. They also told me the balance owing.

The whole thing just seemed dodgy to me. No copy of a letter saying what I owed, no record of any payments, utter chaos from HMRC's end. I actually feel sorry for the staff.

ET22

Thankyou both for your help x