Car tax questions regarding disabled use

[Heckler]

Hi all, I hope you can help with this question as I'm unsure and can find no information about my particular problem on the DVLA site, nor can I actually get through to a human being for advice... Their IVR system is a complete and utter joke.

 

 

For the last 5-6yrs I have been using my car to transport my disabled dad around. He lost his license on medical grounds in 2009 and his motability car was returned.

 

We then found out that he could nominate me as a designated driver/owner of a vehicle and have it registered for disabled use and get the road tax for free. Over the years I've changed cars a couple of times, getting a larger one to accommodate a wheelchair and so forth. I'd take them on trips and holidays, to the doctors and hospital appointments and shopping... ect, ect.

 

The car was last taxed for 12 months at the beginning of July.

 

Sadly my father passed away towards the end of July, and although the car is still showing as taxed online... I am uncertain as to whether I will be required to register the car as normal use and purchase road tax or if the tax will run it's course until the end of June 2017 and I will have to do it then.

 

I have literally spent hours attempting to research the answer to this, along with half a dozen calls to the DVLA and their IVR system simply doesn't have an option to select for my query and I keep ending up at dead ends and there is zero options to be put through to an actual person... I've wasted 3-4hrs on the phone alone listening to their stupid system and it's driving me nuts.

 

It's a simple question... do I need to re-tax the car or not. Typical govt bureaucracy makes that all but impossible to find out.

[Bazooka Boo]

Just reading it verbatim off my INS216 form, having been recently entitled to free road tax, it states that;

 

"If the exemption no longer applies. If the vehicle is not used as described above, or the disabled person is no longer entitled to free disabled tax, the vehicle must be taxed in the appropriate tax class at a post office branch"

 

Yes you need to retax the car.

[Stigman]

Hi,

 

Sorry to hear about your loss of your father.

 

I agree with Bazooka, you because your father has unfortunately passed away, the tax exemption no longer applies so you need to inform the DVLA and tax your car and pay the appropriate fee.

 

I do not know if their is any rules that allow you to use this exemption for a specified period of time to clear up your late fathers affairs.

 

Stigman

[panther12]

If you do change the tax class back to normal, if it's mid-month or getting towards the end of the month I'd wait until the beginning of the next month - otherwise if you want to continue keeping the car on the road I think you will have to pay the tax starting from the beginning of the month that the tax class change takes place - so effectively loosing almost a full months tax.

[Heckler]

My mum had a letter from the DWP the other day, it said that the DLA would be stopped from the 19th Sept 2016... No idea why that date was chosen as my father died on the 21st July but it's the Monday 8 weeks after he died.

 

So would this mean I don't have to worry about the tax until after that date?

 

The longer I can delay this the better as I'd prefer not to have car tax and car insurance needing to be renewed within a couple of weeks of each other.

[Stigman]

The old DLA was split into two components, the mobility side and the care side, Does the letter state which will be stopped?

 

Stigman

[Heckler]

She had another letter this morning, the DLA side has been stopped as of the 25th July and the care side will be stopped as of the 19th Sept... Why it's done this way I have no idea... but it's welcome as we are still doing a lot of stuff to sort out my dads affairs.

[Stigman]

I would check to see if your vehicle is currently taxed, the DLA Mobility component is the one that provides you with a vehicle road tax exemption.

 

If the letter is correct then your vehicle has been untaxed for nearly a month.

 

Stigman

[Heckler]

I checked before I started this htread and it showed as taxed, I've just this minute checked again and it's still showing as taxed.

[stu007]

You can use this Gov link to check if a vehicle is taxed: https://www.gov.uk/check-vehicle-tax

[Bazooka Boo]

I fully understand your reasons for wanting to delay renewing the tax.

 

Putting my sensible head on for a couple of sentences tells me, that whilst you do invariably have a lot on your plate at the minute sorting through your late fathers affairs, what you really don't want, is for you to be at the mercy of the old bill at the side of the road, whereby they take your vehicle off you for being untaxed, ANPR takes no prisoners unfortunately.

 

It might be best to get it sorted sooner rather than later to avoid any complications down the road, which will only add to your stress and worries now, when you should be concentrating on what is most important.

[Heckler]

I'll be getting it sorted 1st Sept... simply because I don't have the money until the end of the month now... got run out the road the other day and needed a new tyre... thankfully the dashcam caught the plonker and I've sent it to the police.