Tax bill- so worried

[Readysaltedcrisp]

· Today 13:47
Hi,
Due to an error on my part I’ve ended up with a tax bill of £1400. It’s my fault and I accept responsibility. Lessons learned and all that!!! The issue is, I can’t pay it all back in one go. I just don’t have it. I also don’t have any access to credit due to money issues that I faced even my marriage ended.
I can afford to pay £150 per month but the person at hmrc won’t accept this and they want it all now. I’m beyond stressed.
what can I do? I know it’s my debt and I 100% plan to pay it all. I just need time!
im terrified that im going to have bailiffs and my house etc. anyone know what i can expect? The only thing i can think off is to just Kay the £150 each month and hold my nerve?

When is it due?

You can’t pay what you don’t have so they’ll have to take it in instalments.

Contact them again and explain.

Try phoning hmrc back, ime if you explain (without getting cross at all) they will try to help you.

I know you have already phoned, but you almost certainly won't get the same person, and the next one will probably be more helpful.

Explain you are not trying to avoid payment, that you have £x in the bank, y income, z outgoings, that you can't get credit (you've checked) and you have no relations with a spare £1400...

Gov.uk website suggests they'll consider a repayment plan for outstanding tax unless they think you won't be able to keep up with the repayments. Is it possible that's what they think?

Contact your MP. I have worked for MPs previously and they can absolutely help with this by contacting HMRC and pleading your case.

It isn't guaranteed but I had some real success stories with buying time

I owed them over £4000 due to an overpayment of tax credits and it annoyed me so much because I gave them all the information and they were the ones that calculated it. Due to said annoyance I offered £50 a month back and they tried to push for more but I said I couldn't afford it and they accepted the £50. I'm still paying it back now but they will negotiate, sounds like you had an unhelpful advisor so try and phone back and speak to someone else.

I put this on your other thread. Not sure if you have lost that!

Here is the link for setting up a Time to Pay arrangement online. If you meet the conditions you may not need to ask someone else.
www.gov.uk/difficulties-paying-hmrc/pay-in-instalments

They should accept that as it means it will be paid off before your next tax bill is due. Try to set it up online so you don't have to talk to anyone but if that doesn't work when you call back use the phrase "if I pay more than £150 a month I will be in financial hardship". I've known people owe a lot more than that be put on repayment plans so I think you may be just got an unhelpful adviser.

Just pay the £150 pm, if they take it further, you’re demonstrating that you are paying and not avoiding.

They will still add interest and late payment penalties though so ideally you want a payment plan in place.

Absolutely, a payment plan is always the best option. But if they refuse, at least start paying as it shows your intentions are still there to pay, they are the ones being difficult.

Like many people you speak to, there are some awful HMRC advisors that just want to be difficult, the OP could ring tomorrow and the advisor will bend over backwards to help.

Yes 100% I call them regularly for my job and different advisors will give you completely different answers to the same question. It's a shambles.

Yup. Same here. I deal with HMRC daily and they are a complete shambles as there is no consistency in what they advise/agree. I regularly contact them a second or third time and get a completely different answer when someone different answers, and yes, it always will be someone different, and usually they don't look on their system to see previous calls/correspondence so don't know you've already called them and been told something else.

I find that so annoying though. It’s not ok for it to be so inconsistent. It’s like it’s a lottery!!