‘I’m getting hammered by tax!’
The familiar cry of the employee, and one that usually hinges around an incorrect tax code. The common response from the employer has been to send the frustrated employee to his or her local tax office….
The only problem being that every HMRC ‘Enquiry Centre’ closed its doors to the public over the summer of 2014. After decades of providing face to face help on the high street, HMRC has changed the way in which we interact with them.
From mid-2014 a new service means that if one of your employees thinks they have a problem with their tax code they have several ways to find information:-
1) They could go to the HMRC website. This includes a ‘tax checker’ to review your tax codes accuracy. HMRC now accept emails about incorrect codes, just follow the instructions on the website on how to submit a query.
2) If they need to speak to a person they could telephone the Taxes Helpline on 0300 200 3300. This is open 8am to 8pm Monday – Friday, 8am to 4pm Saturday (be prepared for the occasional long wait on hold though listening to ‘interesting’ music…).
For customers who may need extra help they may be transferred to specialist phone advisers who can take time to resolve in-depth queries.
They may even be offered a face-to-face meeting at a local venue or their home if that is appropriate.
3) Finally the good old pen and paper option! The address is:
HM Revenue & Customs
Pay As You Earn
PO Box 1970
Liverpool
L75 1WX
This final one though is obviously the slowest way to get an answer…and nobody likes to wait long for a tax rebate!
