Jay Sear

Ok - I think I have managed to get it sorted - at least I have been told that the BACs payment has now been paid - here is what I did and I hope it works for both of you! 1. Don't bother with phoning - it seems impossible even to get in a queue, Instead use HMRC online https://www.tax.service.gov.uk/ask-hmrc/chat/self-assessment - you start off with a chatbot which will try and direct you to various pages but just keep repeating that you need to speak to an advisor about a refund. It will tell you if no advisors are available but otherwise you will be put in a queue. I had to wait about 30 minutes. 2. Have ready the following info to cut and paste into the chat: your national insurance number, name, DOB, address, the date that you submitted the refund and reference number if you have it and the amount owed. 3. I got cut off from the first advisor and had to wait another 25 mins for the next advisor so I'd recommend just writing it all down and cutting and pasting it in. 4. The adviser checked my account, authorised the refund, asked me to confirm bank account number and sort code and told me it would be in my account within 10 days. Fingers crossed and good luck!

Dear HMRC, The problem is that I (and other people) cannot contact the self assessment team - if you phone up you are not given the option of waiting - the call is just disconnected. Please can you advise how to get through? Thanks

I overpaid tax of nearly £7k in the 2023/24 tax year. I completed my self assessment in early April and applied for the refund on 20 April. According to the website I should have had a response by 31 May but I haven't. I can't get through to speak to someone - the call is just disconnected. How do I follow this up?

My pension provider has issued an incorrect P45 showing that I received £50 more than I did. They have also reported the incorrect figure directly to HMRC. They say they can't issue a correct P45 but have sent a letter which includes the right figures. How do I get this changed?

I emptied a pension pot and as advised by the pensions company, I filled in a P50Z as I have no PAYE income as finished my job in September 2023 and just have a small amount of self-employed income. There was a question about whether I had earned any self employed income since stopping work so I included the amount earned since September 2023 - but does this just mean this tax year? If so I have completed this incorrectly. I'm also unclear about the do not submit within 4 weeks of stopping work guidance - I thought that meant finishing my job but does it mean since getting the pension? I do I communicate with HMRC about the form?

I have c£18k in a Free Standing AVC and I want to withdraw all of it in one go in the 2024/25 tax year. I have been told that HMRC will assume that this is a monthly withdrawal rather than a one off and will tax me on the basis of having an income of c£200k per annum. Is that really true and if so how do I claim the tax back? I will only have a self-employed income of less than £5k in that tax year.