I finished self employment & became unemployed.

I was contacted by HMRC every quarter subsequently asking me to submit self assessment forms.

I told them I was unemployed but they contact me.

After a couple of years they made a determination for the 2 years outstanding.

I tried to contact people about this but I just got stone walled.

About 4/5 years ago went to the local tax office to try & sort it out (which is now closed) &

I was told the determination stands because too much time has lapsed since the determination was made & it still stands.

They now want to adjust my personal allowance as I am now employed (single persons personal allowance).

They want to start doing this in April, the bill is over £5000.

Is there anything I can do about this?

Hello there. I expect help will be along later, we have a few caggers who know about tax matters.

Have you seen the calculations about what you owe and do you agree with them please?

HB

If you registered when you became unemployed, then get the dates from them on their official paper and send a copy to HMRC.

Hello there. I expect help will be along later, we have a few caggers who know about tax matters.

 

Have you seen the calculations about what you owe and do you agree with them please?

 

HB

If the OP agrees or not may well be moot.

When was the determination made?, and in relation to which tax year?

You mention visiting a tax office, but did you actually appeal the determination?.

If the determination wasn't correctly appealed, and more than six years has passed, it can well have become fact, even if it was wrong or the OP now wishes to challenge it.

This seems likely if it is "a bill from the 90's", but the details of dates / events would be needed to be sure.

This may be why the OP " was told the determination stands because too much time has lapsed since the determination was made & it still stands. "

Yes I am told their records don't go as far back as the 90's!

No I haven't seen any calculations, I've only seen a determination about 5 years ago so I went to tax office to try & sort it out. I was told because I hadn't filled out any self assessment forms the determination would stand. The inland revenue should have records of periods of unemployed but they told me the records no longer existed as so much time had elapsed.

I tried to get records 5 years ago but they said they don't keep them that far back. The mistake I made at the time was not realising that when I became unemployed there were certain criterias I needed to fulfil which at the time I wasn't aware of. I assumed the unemployment office had informed HMRC as they had my national insurance number.

Yes I am told their records don't go as far back as the 90's!

I don't hold out much hope, as even if you could claim their assessment was flawed, you may be well out of time to appeal.

 

When was the determination made?, and in relation to which tax year?

 

You mention visiting a tax office, but did you actually appeal the determination?.

 

Edited to add:

OP posted further info in their 13.00-ish posts, while I was composing this (after their 12.06 post)

Sounds like you were out of time to appeal the determination (you have 6 months to appeal a determination, though I am aware of someone who was able to get a determination reconsidered by getting up to date with all their assesments, and they didn't owe any tax for the period the determination had been made for - However, this was within the six year period from the relevant tax year).

For something from the 90's : likely you are way out of time. Even if was for 98/99 tax year, there is next to nothing you can do after mid-2005, so you are almost 10 years too late .....

You might claim unfairness if they had opportunity to claim the money back earlier and didn't,

Or you made a formal appeal and they didnt act upon it, but they might well say "why have you not done more since to get this resolved"?. It sounds as if you had hoped it had all just gone away, or they wouldnt be able to collect it?

However, if you have been evading them or not earning enough up until now: you can't claim a statute bar against them collecting it through your tax code:

Have they placed you on 0BR?