To send my Ukrainian ex-guest her tax number?

[Mmmkaay]

Bit of a long story but I'll try to keep it as brief as I can - last year we hosted a Ukrainian mother and 18yr old daughter from April to September. They were ok mostly but had a habit of withholding the truth (and major strops if they didn't get their own way but that's another story!) It turned out after 2 months that they weren't in danger in Ukraine but needed to earn money. Eventually they returned - daughter wanted to be back with her boyfriend and mum had made enough to pay for her second year at university so fair enough, we parted on ok terms, not close but no big fall outs.

Fast forward to a couple of weeks ago and mum gets in touch to say she's in the UK again, living in Ramsgate, she came to England to visit her husband (not sure how he got here, he couldn't leave the country last year) discovered he had another woman, was divorcing him and has found a job. Her daughter has moved in with her boyfriend in Ukraine so she's on her own. The reason she got in touch with me was because she had applied for her personal tax code and it was being sent to my address! And could I send it on? I was a bit pissed off, and responded that it seemed that as usual, she had only got in touch when she wanted something. (TBH I doubt she'd have got in touch at all had she not needed something from me.)

This letter has now arrived at my address - she tells me that she has informed HMRC of her new address but still wants me to send the letter to her as she needs the code. I'm not sure whether to do this - I've offered to open it, photograph the contents and send to her but she says she needs the original. I do feel sorry for her as I think she's clearly had a hard time recently (assuming she's telling me the truth) but am I opening myself up for trouble if HMRC think she's still associated with my address? Is there a reason she needs the original copy?

YABU - send the poor woman her letter!
YANBU - you'll have hordes of debt collectors on your doorstep if you don't disassociate yourself now

Thanks

Of course you shouldn’t forward the letter. You can explain to her that it is not allowed. By doing the correct thing of returning to HMRC, you would not be hurting this woman who is safely in this country. You are simply being a sensible person and protecting yourself from potential difficulties.

A tax code and a NINO are two very different things.

Return the letter to HMRC immediately and inform them that she is no longer resident. Inform her that she has to inform HMRC of her new address and that you don't have her letter. You won't bc it'll be winging it's way to HMRC.

She should have already told HMRC her address and seems to be officially back with you. Create maximum distance.

HMRC don’t send NI numbers

She has a history of being deceitful. I'd therefore send the letter back to HMRC.

If she just needed the code, a photo would suffice. It makes me suspicious that she wants the original. Might she be trying to prove she lives at your address?

This is what I would do.

As a pp has said a letter from the tax office is considered proof of address for all sorts of things. It's not her address and you should send it back. The reason they send the letter and not just notify you electronically is a cross check you live there. They will issue it to her correct address when she notifies them.

Do not forward to her, return to HMRC advising she has not lived at your address for the past 13 months!

Return the letter to sender. Tell her to contact hmtc to issue a new letter to the correct address. Point out having an incorrect address on the letter will not be acceptable by employers etc so unless she is still claiming to live at your address that letter is useless.

She's having you over.

Return the letter to HMRC and have no more contact with her, otherwise it'll be a rabbit warren of stress for you.

YABU - you can surely accept that whilst this woman and her daughter may not have been in imminent danger of being blown up in the Ukraine their livelihood and quality of life could have been severely impacted by the war and they had presumably come through one of the recognised resettlement schemes so had the right to be in the UK?

You should send the woman her National Insurance Number. You may wish to withhold the covering letter in case she uses it as proof that she still lives at your address, but it's her NINO and it's not up to you to police how she uses it.

Well aren't you oozing the milk of human kindness.

Thank God there are thousands of people in this country who think that having your home invaded and having to leave with virtually nothing warrants a little compassion.

I'm a fraud officer. For a statutory authority. I can assure you that a NINO registered to the wrong address is not an article that can be used in fraud as a NINO is not a proof of ID.

She can get it from going to a Jobcentre with her passport and the last address she lived at (which was the OPs) .

The OP should simply send her her NINO as she needs it to work . If you are paranoid about her running some scam (what reason do you have for that assumption) - did she steal or in some way scam you when she lived with you or is it simply because she is 'forrin' ? ..in which case don't send the letter just the number ...

Most people are kind and don't think the worse of their fellow humans. If you have an opportunity to help, especially someone displaced from their homes by war then do it. Forwarding a letter is such an easy way to help someone.

No policing required, although thank you for your judgement 🙄 - I asked her if she wanted a photograph of the information and she said she wanted the original.

Anyway, to update I have messaged her to say I can't send the original but that she will be able to get a copy if she lets HMRC know her new address, she's asked for a photo of the letter content which I've provided, it's not her NI number, it's a number to allow her to submit a tax self assessment as apparently she is self employed, I've asked what work she is doing and she has refused to tell me as 'its not important.' Hey ho.

I don’t have a lot of time for people who host Ukrainian’s then bitch about them to be honest. They are humans, not angels. Just like Afghans, Yemenis, Iranians etc. Mostly good, but some flaws. Humans.

Send her her ID and think about why you hosted this family. Was it praise? Because it was topical? Because they looked like you despite them having a very different culture? No need to bitch about them on here. The woman never promised you she was the second coming. She needed a favour, you gave it to her. That’s it basically.

Russians only
bomb places where they have intel
where the army is. Other than that I know 6 european businessmen working in Ukraine, not even talking Lviv, Kiev but as far as Poltava. Restaurants,nightclubs are open as usual. Even in Odessa you will find lots of adverts of concerts that are happening.

Health tourism by EU citizens has resumed as well.

You do not want your address associated with someone else’s affairs. It is irrelevant whether she is Ukrainian or British. She has not explained why she used your address. It may be fine. It may not.

Return it HMRC. If she asks just say you checked with them and they said she should give her current address. If she has a current address no problem, and to her advantage to do things in a straightforward manner. If, say, she is still in the Ukraine but she or someone else wants to build a UK identity, you really don’t want to enable.

If you google HMRC tax notification letter (of this is what it is) then yes that can be used as proof of address for many things including to open bank accounts/take out loans.

Sounds petty-ish

This.

I would be very worried about your employer if you were really a fraud officer!

We all know that she doesn't really need the National Insurance number or details about her tax code as if she did a text or photo would do. What she wants is an official letter from HMRC to OP's address with her name on it. She will then be able to open bank accounts etc at OP's address.

I always wonder how scammers get away with conning people, but the amount of just post it on in this thread is worrying.

OP if you send this one on I bet it will be a driving licence next and then bailiffs at your door in 12 months looking for her.

It was a tax code which is dependent on income...you can look these things up on line. It's nothing remotely like a NI number which is individual.

OP return the letter to sender and deny all knowledge.

@Mmmkaay return the letter to HMRC and tell them she is not at your address! bit iffy to have given your address when she is living elsewhere.

Return the letter, she doesn't need to know it's even arrived - unless you've told her it has already. She has used your address and no longer lives there so it's not correct. She will need to contact HRMC and get that sorted, not your problem. There's a history of lies so your doing the right thing.

OP, do you know if she needed to supply a UK address when she was returning here? If so, she might have said she was going to stay with you, without your permission. In any case, the whole situation sounds suspicious. Why did not she gave HMRC her new address for the letter?

I'd do this tbh rather than ask on here. Too much emotion on here. Give them a ring and ask them the same questions as in your post.

There seems to be some confusion between National Insurance numbers and UTR numbers on this thread.

An HMRC issued letter with your UTR is absolutely a recognised proof of address document. There is no harm in giving her the UTR number (I'd send her a photograph of the letter with the address cut off). She will be able to do everything she needs to do employment/self-employment wise with just this number. However, the letter itself needs to be returned to HMRC with a note saying she does not live at your address. I'd also advise against sending her a photo of the complete letter (with address) as many online banks will accept a clear photo as proof of address.