Unexpected request to confirm tax residency - Halifax

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  • badmemory
    badmemory Posts: 7,879 Forumite
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    waywardj wrote: »
    It may be that due to the shear number of forms they will be having to process, Lloyds Banking Group (including the Halifax) may have outsourced the task to a third party business support company. This could explain the lack specific account details, the unrecognised 0345 number, the absence of a Lloyds or Halifax name on the return postal address.


    None of which of course is an acceptable excuse for the ill thought out way in which this is being handled.

    Totally agree. It reads like the Halifax letter was written before they knew who was going to deal with it for them. Then they couldn't be bothered inserting a paragraph into the letter stating the info. And then just to crown it off, didn't think to include a name on the return envelope that anyone would recognise, such as the company actually doing the work for them.

    To be really paranoid, I started to wonder if they are thinking of using us sending these forms to an unknown entity as an excuse for not refunding fraudulent activity, in view of what that idiot said last week about NOT refunding.
  • TomL93
    TomL93 Posts: 1 Newbie
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    From what I can see it appears to be perfectly genuine. I've been told that this is similar but completely separate to FATCA and simply they are wanting to know our tax residency information. The form seems relatively straight forward. I spoke to a guy who said he was from Ernst and Young working on behalf of the Lloyds Banking Group. He was very helpful and told me that I had been sent this form because LBG did not have my country of tax residence and corresponding Tax Identification Number (which apparently is my National Insurance Number as I'm a UK resident).

    It does seem a little confusing why my bank doesn't have this information but I have a friend that works for Lloyds and he says that he cannot remember ever seeing any tax residence information on any database. So it seems to me that, in line with this CDOT legislation that they are talking about and that I have had a look into, the Government need them to get this information from us.

    I feel the letter could have been more clear about all of this but after phoning up their 0345 number they put my mind at ease. I was slightly cautious to begin with but I am in no doubt that this is a real letter and have just sent mine off in the post today.

    Hope this is of some help!
  • badmemory
    badmemory Posts: 7,879 Forumite
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    edited 8 April 2016 at 5:42PM
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    I too found him very persuasive, to the extent that I told him I would post it to them and even got it into the return envelope. I then sat back and thought. The envelope it arrived in didn't have a Halifax return address on it. The letter didn't mention Ernst & Young. The return envelope didn't mention either. If this isn't a scam then it is Lloyds Halifax etc's fault that we think it is.

    If I don't change my mind again, my plan is to take the form into the bank and send a letter in the return envelope explaining why (I'd hate to waste the reply paid envelope) and crucially not sign the letter as I wouldn't want to give them my signature.

    It is interesting that there has been no mention of this issue in the MSE email - or was there and I missed it.
  • BarkingMad
    BarkingMad Posts: 56 Forumite
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    I'm pretty sure the requirement for details is genuine.

    I was in my Britannia/Co-op branch a few days ago and mentioned this and it they were aware of the requirement.

    Perhaps Halifax should put something on their website to explain the letter is genuine?
  • BarkingMad
    BarkingMad Posts: 56 Forumite
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    Just tweeted them asking them to look at this thread.
  • blackfish
    blackfish Posts: 11 Forumite
    edited 9 April 2016 at 11:44AM
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    Still have my letter; not taken it into branch yet though some posts in this thread suggest that doing so is not necessarily going to prove the matter one way or another (similarly phone calls seem to solicit polarised answers; some say genuine, some say scam). I just haven't seen anything definitive yet.

    Just tried searching "Tax Residency" on Halifax website - no results.

    Additional bit of info, my wife and I both have accounts with Halifax but she has not received the letter. Looks quite likely that letters are not going to all customers (else there'd be lots more 'noise' here and elsewhere). The exercise may be restricted to accounts opened since 01 July 2014 or account with balance above a threshold.

    I accept that it is right and proper for financial institutions to be aware of Tax Residency (and the need for legislation as that's often the only way to secure compliance). How should they check or get this information? By writing in simple terms that they are required by law ask us to state or to confirm our residency. The form should have a tick box for "My residency since birth has been the UK". That would cover almost all account holders; a tick in a box and sign the form - job done. Oh and a list of accounts that are affected (would help us to believe it's genuine). In fact if there were several accounts, they'd probably need to send a separate letter for each. As for return address, I would have been happier to see a legitimate, traceable Halifax address, even if they were outsourcing the work. By liaising with Royal Mail, they could have a temporary Post Code for a bulk mailing delivered anywhere they want.

    For anyone who can't tick that box, it obviously gets a little more involved (from/to dates and countries) but I don't think anyone here is in that category.

    So, I think 'the jury is still out'. I'll keep watching and reading.
  • vic_sf49
    vic_sf49 Posts: 534 Forumite
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    I've received this letter from the Halifax, but not from other entities within the Lloyds Banking Group whom I also bank with......why not? And why just from this banking group?

    I've not opened an account with the Halifax since 2014, and used to have an ISA with them, so certainly at some point, they're held a record of my NI number and/or residency status.

    I'd be more than happy to pop into my branch to confirm these details, or respond in some way if I'd received a secure message via my online banking.

    I'll be calling into my branch to see what they say just out of interest, but even then, I don't know if I'll be filling it in. HMRC have my details, as do my bank(s), and quite frankly, they can talk to each other about these issues.
  • Honey3
    Honey3 Posts: 6 Forumite
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    Was your return address to tax compliance services Willenhall?
  • vic_sf49
    vic_sf49 Posts: 534 Forumite
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    Honey3 wrote: »
    Was your return address to tax compliance services Willenhall?

    99% sure mine was....I can't be bothered standing up and getting the letter to double check.
  • BarkingMad
    BarkingMad Posts: 56 Forumite
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    Got replies from Halifax

    First link shows everyone twittering...

    https://twitter.com/AskHalifaxBank/with_replies

    These are mine...

    https://twitter.com/AskHalifaxBank/status/718726395002753024

    https://twitter.com/AskHalifaxBank/status/718747400693800960
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