My thanks to a loyal reader who dropped me a note yesterday, about the problems he had trying to speak to someone on the other end of HMRC's Employers Helpline regarding problems with duplicate coding:
"Hi, I am a tax professional.
Today I had to spend almost an hour on the telephone because four employees in a six employee firm all received duplicate coding notices for 2012/13. All for the same employer.
When I eventually got through to the Employers' helpline the officer admitted that there was a known system error creating duplicate records. In our case the duplicate records had one 'sensible' code number and one D0 which means that tax would be deducted from the whole of the employee's salary at 40% with no personal allowance.
The solution was to ring the 'normal' tax number rather than the specialised agent number (where you get through much quicker) and pass security for each employee to have the duplicate record removed.
In the fourth case the codes were BR - all tax taken at 20% and the other code K955 which means the loss of the personal allowance of 8015 and further tax being collected on 9550 of income which we know this employee doesn't have.
The Revenue are obviously not doing anything about this and the people on the phone fudge the issue.
It might be something you could highlight which might grab someone's attention where it matters!
Thank you.
I only found your blog last week and I am loving it.
Keep up the good work."
Tax does have to be taxing.
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AGREE WITH ALMOST ALL COMMENTS REGARDING THE INEPT, POORLY MANAGED AND POORLY TRAINED HMRC BUT YOUR LOYAL READER WOULD GET NO JOY REGARDING DUPLICATE TAX CODES BY PHONING EHL AS ALL CODES ARE ISSUED BY THE ONLY TAX OFFICE IN BRITAIN BASED IN NEWCASTLE . EHL KNOW NOTHING ABOUT TAX CODES OTHER THAN ADVISING EMPLOYERS HOW TO IMPLEMENT THEM.
ReplyDeleteSORRY I DIDN'T QUITE GET THAT!
ReplyDeletewell there's a surprise then... further example of telephoning one number only to be provided with incorrect information... (how many times have we seen that around these ere parts?) perhaps the loyal reader willbe good enough to keep us updated on how much time and effort is involved in resolving this one issue –
'created by HMRC, paid for by small business'©.
I think I will register that now, copyright is mine as stated herein. (© ref wgg.17.03.12.16.49)
EMPLOYERS HELPLINE (EHL)DOES NOT DEAL WITH TAX CODES IN ANY WAY SHAPE OR FORM EXCEPT TO ADVISE EMPLOYERS ON HOW TO IMPLEMENT THEM. YOUR READER WOULD HAVE BEEN SPEAKING TO THE EMPLOYEES HELPLINE TO HAVE HAD ANY CONVERSATION REGARDING PERSONAL TAX. ADVISERS ON EHL HAVE NO ACCESS TO PERSONAL TAX RECORDS.IGNORE THE REFERENCE TO NEWCASTLE AS IT IS IN FACT AN EMPLOYER UNIT (THE ONLY ONE IN THE UK ). MY FAUX PAS.
ReplyDeleteI think your reader thought EHL could help with the duplicate tax code issue and of course they cant as this is personal tax .The adviser quite correctly gave him the number of the employee helpline.
ReplyDelete"The Revenue are obviously not doing anything about this and the people on the phone fudge the issue."
ReplyDeleteI always thought this was how HMRC operated anyway.
I am a little confused by all this – not difficult.
ReplyDelete"AnonymousMar 7, 2012 01:21 PM
The adviser quite correctly gave him the number of the employee helpline." –
were you part of the enquiry, or how do you know the advisor gave the employee helpline when the reference in the post is to 'the normal number' or is that the employee helpline?
"I am a tax professional.... The solution was to ring the 'normal' tax number rather than the specialised agent number (where you get through much quicker)"
Anyhoo the point is, as always HOW THE HELL ARE YOU SUPPOSED TO KNOW BEFOREHAND? In other words at least one telephone call to the 'specialised agent number', which wasted the callers time and apparently engaged a HMRC advisor, who was unable to resolve the problem directly. (two people employed in fruitless activity).
Just another example of everything that we 'customers' have been advising for many years,
you don't know in advance who to contact,
wait for ages to get through
get passed around,
wait for ages to get through
known issues ignored
wait for ages to get through
responses are 'fudged'
And as no-one has flagged it, the two-tier levels of service HMRC provides
1 to the 'tax professional' – "(where you get through much quicker)"
and
2 to the plebs (everyone else)
basically beacuse level 2 for the plebs is so appalling, a 'proper' service has to be intorduced for the 'tax professional'.
and I also love the