to be seriously pissed off with HM Revenue & Customs?

[BobMarley]

I received a letter today from HM Revenue & Customs for a penalty of £400 for not filing a year-end return for my employee. I used to employ a nanny but she left in August 2008. I had all this last year too and after numerous phonecalls and letters they waived the fine and said I wouldn't be hearing from them again.

Obviously they are incompetent but what really annoys me is that a phonecall telling them is not enough. It has to be done in writing.

AIBU to think that I shouldn't have to go through extra effort because they cocked up?

As I have been typing this I got a call from a 'supervisor' to say that their systems are dowwn and they can't look at my records now so they will try and phone me back later today. If the system is back up again. I mean, seriously?

YANBU to be annoyed, but it doesn't change the fact that to make this go way you need to write to them. It's annoying, but it's necessary. So you can choose to be irritated or you could just write the letter. A wise person one said to me "don't waste energy being upset about things you can't change" :o

However I too have a special place in my heart for HMRC so feel your pain....!

I had similar problems, if you are writing send recorded delivery.

I sent letter several times, and then delivered it to one of there walk in centres. They still apparently did not get it.

Oh HRMC are hopeless. I was briefly self employed (3 months) as a freelancer, then got employed by a company.

There was no capacity for me to deregister as self employed, so I wrote to HRMC. They still kept sending me NI letters.

In the end it got funny. I wrote to them eleven times (each time enclosing photocpies of every single previous letter.... the last few times I had to send it in huge envelopes) and rang them 4 times. Each time referring to every single other letter and telephone call. I just found it a little bit amusing to write 'As i have referred to in my letter dated 2 Feb 2007 and 16 August 2007 and 22 October 2007 ' etc etc etc

It took 2 years before they finally decided to stop writing to me asking for the self employed NI contributions.

Oh, I should add, there was no capacity for me to deregister as SE that I could find, on their website. That may have changed now, or maybe (probably) I was being obtuse. But i kept requesting deregistration via phone and letter.

anyway.

sorry, as you were.

I have come to the conclusion that HMRC has to be chronically short staffed, it can be the only logical explanation (that, or they are all sadists).

Annoying as it may be, make sure you send them the letter and post it by recorded delivery.

HMRC has to be chronically short staffed, it can be the only logical explanation (that, or they are all sadists).

Not sure which hypothesis I prefer.

Thank guys, your stories do make me feel a bit better. But don't you guys get seriously annoyed by this stuff?

I know the wise thing to do is to just write letter and be done with it. But part of me thinks it is the principle of it? They are there to do a job and they are not doing it.

I don't really want to sit back and take it. I want them to change their ways and do better!

I got the same letter today and I stopped employing someone in July 2008!! Bloody incompetence on HMRC's part really. I've posted my letter, but not recorded delivery, so will have to waste yet more time checking that they've received it. Makes me really cross.

juicy12 we're in the same boat then. What a waste of time and energy - for us and them!

Oh alright, I'll give in and send them the darn letter.

If you make sure you save the letter, you'll be able to use it next year as well. Will save you a few minutes' typing.

Well i received a letter asking me to clarify my current situation. They had me down as being employed by previous job (where the tax goes for the present i don't know) as well as claiming job seekers allowence and maternity allowence.

typos [cringe] baby talking in ear