Help! Huge IR fine because my address was out of date!

[smallvoice]

Hi - I have been hit with £400+ worth of fines because the Inland Revenue have been sending tax returns to an old (10 years old!) address. I am PAYE with no other source of income so I had no idea I should be expecting a tax return..also it hadn't occurred to me to tell the tax office every time I moved house.

I know they can only actually charge the fines if I actually owe tax for those years but my employers so crap I wouldn't put it past them to have cocked it up at some point.

Where do people think I stand over the address thing ? My employer has always had the right address and the IR made no effort to do even a nominal address check when they received no response to any letters over the past 3 years (they only realised the address because someone in my old, old address made the effort to return the letter).

Anyone experienced anything similar or have any advice ?

ring them up and tell them.
You do still have old p60's from jobs dating back to whenever it is the ir are fining you from right???

Yes I have every payslip/P60 since I started work as I am pathologically unable to throw anything away! I have spoken to them and they were pretty unhelpful really and just told me I had to pay all of the fines whilst they processed my backdated returns and that having the wrong address is my responsibility blah blah blah. Fine in retrospect but it honestly never occured to me and I'm peeved that they don't make quick calls to employers to check addresses instead of letter fines just build up over years. This could have gone on longer if someone hadn't returned the mail from my old address.

I'm now getting letters from the IR every week and as I'm on maternity leave and buying a new house, suddenly £400 is alot to find.

Its also such a pita to fill in 3 years of forms in one go! Thankfully this years aren't yet late.

It's really bizarre, have you been in the same job for the last 10 years??? When you get a P45 your new address is printed on the part that your old employer sends to them (iirc).
They should have your new address, it's not down to you to ring up your tax office everytime you move (unless your leaving the country and you get the self assessment forms), most people have never spoken to them and wouldn't know how to begin.

This happened to my dh - we moved house but he stayed in the same job. We did not pay the fine - you can and they will refund you later. Ask them to send you the appeals leaflet, and you then write them a letter and they let you off.

thanks both...yes fuzzywuzzy I have been in the same job for 10 years!!! HJ thats really good to know. I've calmed down now as I opened todays post to find daily fines of £60 were now being imposed which would not be waived even if I won the appeal. So I spoke to someone much more senior who cancelled that letter..apparently it was sent in 'error' and they said pretty much the same as you HJ.

So drama over I hope and I'm not paying the fine up front. Honestly its amazing what grief speaking to one crap person can cause!

thanks though