Letters To HMRC Left Unanswered For More Than A Year
I've had direct experience of this ...
Posted by Roger Eddowes on 24/07/2023 @ 8:00AM
It seems quite ridiculous that a letter I sent on the 22nd of May 2022 was only acknowledged by HMRC this week. It's a massive problem that is affecting accountants, agents and even our clients ...
I am enthusiastic about this targeted approach, though I am less impressed with HMRC overall!
HMRC has taken steps to address this mounting backlog of postal requests by expanding the Agent Account Manager (AAM) team and initiating a trial of a dedicated task force with the sole focus of processing letters pending for more than 12 months.
"HMRC commits to responding within 5 working days!"
Once an agent identifies any post older than a year, they can submit an online form and HMRC will confirm the identification of the reported post within 5 working days and prove a more detailed response within 15 days.
There's always a 'but' though; the AAM service will not address issues belonging to other departments. This includes compliance checks, appeals against decisions, posts that have already received a response (albeit a long time ago which then stalled) and, of course, posts less than 12 months old.
Although I am enthusiastic about this targeted approach, I am less impressed with HMRC overall. This trial seems insufficient and far too late to make much of a difference. It certainly fails to address the underlying service issues HMRC are having right now.
When a response takes more than a few weeks, there's something very wrong.
Until next time ...
ROGER EDDOWES Business Godparent
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If anything I've written in this blog post resonates with you and you'd like to discover more about an unanswered letter you sent to HMRC, it may be a great idea to call me on 01908 774320 and let's see how I can help.
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Roger trained at Edward Thomas Peirson & Sons in Market Harborough before working at Hartwell & Co, followed by Chancery, as a partner. He started Essendon Accounts and Tax with Helen Beaumont in 2014 as a general practitioner with a hands-on approach.
Roger loves getting his hands dirty, working with emerging, small-to-medium and family businesses to ensure they receive the best possible accountancy advice. Roger utilises an extensive network of business contacts to leverage the best guidance and practical solutions.
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