Australia phased out accepting foreign currency cheques

Hi there, last year I claimed my small pension pot, out of which the expected amount of tax was withheld by the provider, and funds remitted to me in Australia by funds transfer. HMRC then advised the tax would be refunded (also expected), and sent me a cheque in pounds. I was advised by my bank that they can no longer accept cheques in currency other than Australian dollars (and that all cheques are being phased out over time). they advised that I would have to return the cheque and request a fund transfer, which I did in August 2023. I have since followed up with another letter, as I had not heard anything form HMRC. Today, I received a letter from HMRC, containing... a replacement cheque for the amount of the refund. Obviously, the letters I have sent are lost in the system, or HMRC cannot process/send fund transfers? can anyone advise me on the bet course of action here? thank you Saz

Hi,
HMRC cannot issue refunds to foreign bank accounts.
You will therefore need to provide details of a nominee that can accept your payment to a UK bank account. you will need to do this in writing and also return the cheque to confirm it has not been cashed.
Thank you.
 

Hi, I have just received an income tax return from the UK, in the form of a cheque despite me asking for EFT in writing twice. Australian banks have phased out the banking of all cheques. What do I do?

Hi Matt,
You will need to contact our Income Tax team using the link below for advice on your query.
Income Tax: general enquiries
Thank you.

Hi Matt, after a lot of searching, I found out that some of the banks that used to be credit unions use an agent to cash the cheques. I opened an account with Great Southern Bank, and they took care of it for fee. There is a fee of course, but you can put that through your tax return here. Rgds SazC