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Original poster

Random HMRC error? Please help

43 replies

PumbletonWakeshaft · 10/10/2017 15:08

My husband has just had an HMRC payment taken from his credit card out of the blue. He phoned his bank and they said it was for some kind of child support and they couldn't get it back. He is in full time employment, we have one child together, we claim no benefits (apart from basic child benefit, which goes to my account), he has no other children. We are totally baffled by this! Unfortunately he is unable to call them from work to find out what is going on and will have to wait until his day off to call them.

Has anyone else had this happen to them? The only explanation we could think of was that as he has a common name (think for example James Smith) it might be mistaken identity?

Either that or when he recently did the government portal to see if we were eligible for any help with nursery fees, he triggered something? Although that doesn't explain why he would pay them and not the other way around...

All very confusing. Any shared experiences would be welcome. I'm twiddling my thumbs in frustration that I can't sort it for him! Please no comments that he might have a child elsewhere - he doesn't. TIA.

OP posts:
WitchesHatRim · 10/10/2017 15:12

Has anyone else had this happen to them? The only explanation we could think of was that as he has a common name (think for example James Smith) it might be mistaken identity?

Well that wouldn't explain how they have his credit card details.

ineedamoreadultieradult · 10/10/2017 15:13

Well you have vetoed me saying what I was going to say so now I'm just place marking to find out what other explanation there might be.

CotswoldStrife · 10/10/2017 15:15

If it has gone from a credit card then usually the provider will mark it as disputed on your statement - I did this once when a payment that I didn't recognise was paid out.

The HMRC helpline is usually open quite late, can he not ring later on tonight or contact them via email? It seems strange that they have his credit card details!

IDoLikeARainbow · 10/10/2017 15:16

I wouldn’t expect HMRC to have my credit card details... Confused why should they?
I don’t know how CSA payments are normally taken but find it hard to believe it’s from Credit Cards.

LineysRun · 10/10/2017 15:21

Why hasn't he rung HMRC?

Original poster
PumbletonWakeshaft · 10/10/2017 15:24

@cotswold just checked and its open til 8. He's usually back around 7 so should be enough time. I suppose it depends how long the queues are. I give up with call centres these days, tend to assume it's going to be hours on hold!

I agree it's v strange. It's not even a card he uses, in fact he's just paid it off which is why he noticed this payment so quickly.

OP posts:
CotswoldStrife · 10/10/2017 15:26

If you can look at the payment online (from the credit card) get any reference from it and the time/date it was paid as they may need that info over the phone.

Clovertoast · 10/10/2017 15:30

Could he have a child you arent aware of?

Clovertoast · 10/10/2017 15:31

He's being quite casual just waiting for his day off to call them? I'd want it sorted immediately?

Original poster
PumbletonWakeshaft · 10/10/2017 15:54

That's a good idea @cotswoldstrife I will tell him to get it all ready. I hate unidentified payments, we are on a tight budget every month and it is really stressing me out. I know he will be feeling the same. I'm at home with DS so got far too much time to stew over this!

OP posts:
bunningsbunny · 10/10/2017 16:18

Has he established if it is definitely an HMRC payment or could it possibly be scammers pretending to be HMRC?

I've definitely had scammers ring up trying to get payments out of me pretending to be HMRC - and it's scary initially because you really don't want to get caught out not paying the taxes you're supposed to. But when I stopped to think and realised that I paid everything in full, automatically, why should they suddenly be demanding more?

Might be worth asking the bank to put a disputed on the payment as mentioned, even if they can't stop it, so that it is flagged up and they can see that there's an issue, in case there are knock on effects for other payments you want to make. Or so they can't turn around later and say that you spoke to us but didn't say there was a dispute or something similar, so that you can refer back to it later.

Desmondo2016 · 10/10/2017 18:50

Is it possible they've simply miskeyed someone else's credit card number? Or someone has given them his cc details

Original poster
PumbletonWakeshaft · 10/10/2017 19:14

UPDATE

DH had an answerphone message from the bank - turns out it was an HMRC tax payment for the PPI they had refunded him as it counts as savings and therefore needs tax paying on it!

He rang them back and the bank said they had no idea why the previous person he spoke to had said it was some kind of child maintenance payment as it was not this at all.

God the stress of it all this afternoon due to some idiot working in a banking call centre! No need!

Anyway, at least we don't have to wait 2 more days to find out what is going on. And no - to those who didn't read the OP properly and chose to speculate anyway - there is no random lovechild. Only on mumsnet would people immediately think that!

Wine and cake. That is all.

OP posts:
Ditsy1980 · 10/10/2017 19:29

Why did they take the payment from his credit card though?
If it was extra tax he needed to pay he should have had a letter from HMRC stating he had not paid enough tax in a certain tax year and given him options to pay it. You can normally pay it upfront, pay it in instalments or opt to have your tax code adjusted for the current tax year so the money is recouped.
It's very unusual - if not unheard of - to be done this way. I might not be jumping to secret love child but I think there might be more to this than he is telling you.

ineedamoreadultieradult · 10/10/2017 19:46

Why would his PPI refund be classed as savings on a credit card that has a zero balance?

Original poster
PumbletonWakeshaft · 10/10/2017 20:32

Yeah that was my point. He is going to call them back as it makes no sense why they would send a cheque then retrospectively take money off the card. It wasn't HMRC who took the amount, it was the bank who labelled the amount as an HMRC payment. Really odd though. My theory is that they sent the cheque then someone went "fuck, we were supposed to deduct tax off that" so they've done it now. We are def going to ask for it back and get to the bottom of it.

I will also look into whether PPI payments are actually taxable or if they are just palming us off as I don't think our other PPI refunds have had deductions, although my memory is a bit fuzzy on that one.

OP posts:
LineysRun · 10/10/2017 20:39

Sorry but that's bollocks

Desmondo2016 · 10/10/2017 21:21

Yeah it's never this complicated with banks and hmrc. Something is a bit whiffy about this.

Wtfdoipick · 10/10/2017 21:27

The PPI payment itself isn't taxable but they also pay interest on the amount charged, the interest is taxable.

delilahbucket · 10/10/2017 21:29

Sorry but that is utter rubbish. The only way you can pay tax by credit card is to physically do it yourself, and they charge you a fee for the privilege. They do not just take money from people's cards at will. They do not have the power to do this, they do not have automatic payments systems and they do not store people's card details.

strawberrysodasmiles · 10/10/2017 21:38

Sounds like a load of rubbish to me. Someone isn't telling you the full story or is very very confused .... Confused
Maybe ask him to put the call on loud speaker when you ring again to make sure that he's understood fully and is relaying everything to you correctly.

senua · 10/10/2017 21:38

PPI repayments usually go back years. Say they took £1,000 off you 10 years ago; they don't repay £1k, they pay £1k+interest.
HMRC have been quite keen, in the past, on getting their tax-take on this interest element of PPI payments. However, I don't understand why the bank have stopped tax as interest is paid gross these days (since Apr2016).
The onus is on you to declare to HMRC the interest received. However (again!) the first £1,000 of interest is tax-free these days for basic rate taxpayers.
Something is not right. Investigate further.

LineysRun · 10/10/2017 21:42

Someone's bullshitting.

CotswoldStrife · 10/10/2017 21:52

Sorry OP, that does not resemble the way banks and the HMRC work to me at all. I take it your DH hasn't rung HMRC himself to see what is going on?

eurochick · 10/10/2017 22:02

This makes no sense to me.