Retired , tax codes keep changing

[avalon60]

Hi, I took early retirement in December 2012 and have 4 private pensions as income. I have been getting the same money which does not quite give me my full tax free allowance. Then I started to claim ESA for a disability , which prevents me from working, I have had for almost 2 years.

 

The ESA income takes my money to just over 10.1K

 

Now this where it gets interesting so be warned, lol.

 

From January to September I have been getting the same amounts of private pensions with no change. From Jan 2013 I was claiming Jobseekers allowance, then that stopped in or around March 2013. Then I claimed ESA but that was stopped after about 2 months by the infamous ATOS. I reclaimed again in July 2013 and am getting a reduced amount of £44.34p a week.

 

In Sepember HMRC sent me another tax code saying as I was receiving a further private pension, my main pension tax code was no BR, reduced from 839L, and 20% was taken from my monthly pension payment.

After visiting my local tax office and telling them yet again what I was receiving, it was then changed to 358L. I asked about the extra pension I was supposed to be receiving and someone at HMRC had just put it on the system! Anyway, after being told who the company was, I contacted them and it was a mistake on their part and was told they would contact HMRC to put things right. A week or so later I recieved another tax code for my main pension and this was 339L.Up to this point no tax code changes were made to my other 3 private pension incomes.

After going to see them, HMRC again, may main pension tax code was then increased to 655L, at last some improvement! They had wrongly assumed that I was getting a further 5K a year in benefits and pensions.

On or about 10th November I spoke to a member of HMRC and told them about my incomes from pensions and ESA again, and was told that my new main pension tax code would now be 408L, and there would some changes to my other pension payments.

 

So I have now received another set of tax codes, and my main pension one has gone down again as well as one of the others been different tan what I was told.

 

Now, as the tax free allowance is £9440, and I get 10.1K, that works out at £696 to be taxed at 20%, which equals £139.20p per year. So far I have paid over £200 approx in tax, and this does not seem right. Every time I have spoken to someone on the 0300 number its a different person at a different office and it seems that one office does not know what the other is doing. They tell me one thing but do something different, and I am getting very frustrated with them now.

 

Apart from going to see them at my local office yet again,is there anything else or anyone I can speak to so I can get some satisfaction over my ever changing tax codes.

[avalon60]

I made yet another appointment with my local tax office for last Thursday and my main pension tax code has been changed again to 516L, and my other pensions will not be taxed. Also I have overpaid tax by about £42 and will get a refund. This is what I was told at the desk, and now I wait with baited breath to see if this actually happens.

[caro]

Do you agree that's right?

[avalon60]

Do you agree that's right?

 

As far as I can tell, yes I would agree, but getting it back when I was told I would (next month) could be something different.

[caro]

Time will tell. Keep us posted.

[topcat1802]

Its interesting to note if you owe the tax man money they can charge interest, you can therefore charge them interest on any money they owe you, or can you?

[avalon60]

Its interesting to note if you owe the tax man money they can charge interest, you can therefore charge them interest on any money they owe you, or can you?

 

A good point that, but I wouldn't mind betting that I won't get any interest paid.

 

Just got another round of tax codes, and my main pension code has gone up to what I was told, and all others have had little or no change, as I won't be taxed on them.

 

I'm just waiting for the rebate now, whenever that might be. I'll give them until the end of December.

[avalon60]

Just received my December pension slip for my main pension, and my tax code has gone up again to 563L, and I received a refund of £26.90 tax, which is a long way short of what I was told I was going to get.

 

So as I said before, HMRC tells you one thing, then does something different.

 

I have sent an email to my local MP, and asked if he would take this matter up on my behalf, about the way I have been treated by HMRC

[avalon60]

Ok, an update here.

 

I sent my local MP an email detailing what has happened regarding my tax codes.

I have now received a copy of a letter my MP sent to the Chief Executive Officer at HMRC, where the MP agrees with what I told him, and the way in which my tax is being handled.He also says that I should be paid any monies owed as quickly as possible.

 

So its now a matter of 'watch this space'.

[caro]

Ok, an update here.

 

I sent my local MP an email detailing what has happened regarding my tax codes.

I have now received a copy of a letter my MP sent to the Chief Executive Officer at HMRC, where the MP agrees with what I told him, and the way in which my tax is being handled.He also says that I should be paid any monies owed as quickly as possible.

 

So its now a matter of 'watch this space'.

 

Well done. Let's hope this gets sorted once and for all now.