Form France Individual - practical experiences

Banking & Financial Tax & Social charges
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Can we not claim interest at the statutory rate when it seems clear HMRC is deliberately sitting on money ?

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Excellent news. For me that’s the value of the web chat tool, ie to reassure that the form/return etc has actually been received by HMRC.

I’m not confident the web tool will be much use to you for this particular issue..You’ll probably get the official line about we will process it within (6/9) months. More likely you may be told that tax treaty refunds are not part of the scope of the web tool. I would have some sympathy for that view, in that the FFI probably does need to be looked at by somebody with some technical understanding. I’m afraid.my advice would be to follow Karen’s suggestions above of finding an app that will allow you to call HMRC economically (assuming you aren’t able to follow badgers suggestion above) . You need to get to speak to a “Tax technician” and will need to convince the first line of the HMRC phone triage to put you through to one.

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I think the short answer is no - at least not until they’ve been sitting on it for quite some time. 18 months sticks in my mind but I could be wrong about that. It’s declared on their website somewhere


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Dear George,

Thank you yet again for your good advice on how to chase up a tax technician at HMRC .

Incidentally I have just been collecting my online attestations from my French state pension and a AGIRC ARRCO pension in preparation for my 2025 French Tax Declaration. I receive my UK state pension in euros. Do you know if DWP will provide a list of the original sterling payments for 2025 or if I just best show my accountant a list of the eur payments received with bank statement proofs of their receipts? Does DWP have an online service like Assurance Retraite?

Best wishes, Margaret

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A pleasure. Do let us know how you get on..

Assuming the DWP is paying your state pension directly to your French bank account, I would simply tot up the 2025 euro payments and give the accountant that figure. Not sure providing the bank statements is strictly necessary, unless your accountant insists on having supporting documents for their files (probably not uncommon).

.

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Our French accountant has never asked for proof of our pension amounts.

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George,

Thank you again and I shall have a go at just giving in the list of the Eur amounts.

Bonne journée!
Margaret

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George and all.

Me again! Miracles sometimes do happen!

I have just received the repayment I was owed of just under £3000 through my ex employer pension payment for March!! I couldn’t understand the amount that had just hit my French bank account and all was revealed when I checked my online pension slip!! I was expecting the credit to my bank account to come from HMRC but instead it came through my defined benefit pension provider who is a FTSE 100 company.

Rather than splash out on Easter I need to now save this sum for the French tax demand in late summer. I may buy an Easter egg though!!!

So it just took 2 weeks 3 days from posting in the UK. Has anyone managed it faster?!!

George thank you again for all your help in getting the paperwork right first time and giving me the tip to check for receipt via persevering on the chat line.
If you happen to live near Caen I would like buy you a drink in the week after Easter!!!

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