HMRC help please.

[MamaMaiasaura]

Quick question. Tax code was wrong from 2003/2004. Dh called HMRC in November and they said he could claim back as far 2005-2006. He sent all details to them. Heard nothing for ages. He called (£25 worth of calls) only to be told "they never got letter". Dh sent it again in April. Just received letter stating. When you rang November 2011, you could still claim back to 2005-6 but the 2005-6, 2007-7 and 2007-8 tax years have since gone out of date! That means approx £4k lost. Where do we stand as dh did contact them and write in time. Then as soon as finding out they'd not got it, he sent them again. And how on earth does 3 tax years get wiped in 5 months? Anyone with expertise?

Bump

My understanding of claiming back overpaid tax is that you've got 4 years. It used to be five but this changed for people outside the self-assessment system (PAYE taxpayers) on April 1st this year. That means you had until 31st March 2012 to claim back for the 06/07 tax year but you now have until 5th April 2013 to claim back for the 08/09 tax year. That's why it looks like you 'lost' three years. HMRC Deadlines

Did you send the letters recorded delivery? Get anyone's name at HMRC that you spoke to? If not you may be unlucky this time.

You're going to struggle to convince HMRC that you contacted them in time to claim of they've no record of your letter. Best advice is get your MP involved as he/she can escalate it for you. I wouldn't waste any more money on phoning them. If MP can help you've got a decent chance at getting your money. Good luck

It's not 4k that's the pension contributions. So not as dire as I thought. Phew

A tip. To avoid this kind of thing happening in future - and tax codes can easily be incorrect and nobody notices - submit a self-assessment tax return each year. I had various minor problems with over and underpayments for several years on the bounce and, since submitting tax returns, I at least know that I'm all square once a year.