HMRC driving me to insanity

[dustbunnybun]

Just need to rant... maybe someone can relate...!

I started a new part-time job in July & have not been able to get HMRC to assign me an appropriate tax code.

It doesn't matter how many well-written letters I send (even with tables in them!!), or if I update my earnings on the Govt Gateway.

First they had me on a code that gave me only £400 tax-free, now today I get an email saying they've updated my account (yay!), so I log in all excited, only to see they've changed the code to one that equates to £600 tax-free.

I started crying in frustration! I only earn £16k and should not be paying thousands of pounds in tax each year.

There are never any webchat advisers available and talking to someone on the phone also seems impossible. It's driving me mad! What do I do??

Seems really odd! Is the new job your only job, or is it a second job? Do you earn £16K in total over a year?

When you started the new job, what details did payroll have?

I am also having similar issues - I am on my fourth tax code so far this year (my employment details haven't changed but I have a small amount of interest over the PSA which I have declared and then they have estimated a stupid amount for this year). I have found each time I call I get someone different and I get a different answer.
I also back everything up in writing so I have a record.
I can wait until the end of the tax year to sort it out but I do sympathise as it is so stressful trying to deal with them.
Have you tried Twitter? They answered a general enquiry for me which contradicted advice received on the phone and seems to have done the trick for me. They cannot answer specific enquiries on there though.

@NoSquirrels

Seems really odd! Is the new job your only job, or is it a second job? Do you earn £16K in total over a year?

When you started the new job, what details did payroll have?

It is my primary job, but I do have another for which I earn less than £1k per year. They have ended up reversing the tax codes - giving me a high tax-free allowance for the job where I earn 1k, and a £600 allowance for my other (main) job, even though I entered all my earnings details correctly into the online portal and stated them in a letter. It makes me wonder if it's all automated and whether a human is at all involved in updating accounts.

Thanks, @Fleurchamp, I'll try a general query on twitter too!

I suspected it might be something like that, OP. Second jobs and tax are a PITA.

I’d just sit on the phone line until you get a human.

Is it maybe 600 per month??
I have two jobs, first has normal tax free allowance, second I get nothing and am taxed at BR- full 20%

Do you have a government gateway account? If so I thought you could have an online chat with someone when logged in and things can be resolved more quickly?
Alternatively securely message them from within your govt gateway account - I had to do this about my tax code and they resolved it in a few days.
Good luck

@MissMarks

Is it maybe 600 per month?? I have two jobs, first has normal tax free allowance, second I get nothing and am taxed at BR- full 20%

Definitely per year, unfortunately!

@MrsKappa

Do you have a government gateway account? If so I thought you could have an online chat with someone when logged in and things can be resolved more quickly? Alternatively securely message them from within your govt gateway account - I had to do this about my tax code and they resolved it in a few days. Good luck

Online chat is always unavailable, even first thing.

Will see if I can send a secure message, thank you.

There is a 'messages' section in my account but no way to compose any; cam only receive them.

Ended up sending them a message via the 'Feedback about this service' form and also Twitter. Let's see if anything changes!