If (like me) you’re waiting on HMRC for a response to tax return, and/or refund claim, HMRC told me today that there is quite a significant backlog in correspondence building up, apparently due to post-covid staffing shortages.
For example today they are only processing letters/returns etc received on or before 14 May (!). The backlog is estimated at between 5-7 months. I was told my tax return submitted in July would be replied to - in February (2023!).
This backlog might be problematic for those French residents waiting on refunds from new sources of income such as UK pensions, which continue to have PAYE withheld, whilst waiting, and waiting for HMRC to issue an NT (no tax) code.
Strangely, I was in exactly this situation this year, having payed emergency tax on a largeish sum drawn down from my UK pension as a first withdrawal, so new source. I was told to expect a long delay in repayment, but it was processed and a refund made before the end of April. I was gobsmacked.
Similar for me, a refund on tax deducted from interest on a lump sum due to a complete dogs dinner created by the ‘Pru’
They deducted 20% as they should because they did not know my tax status. Posted my form off to HMRC nine weeks ago, today got an email pointing me to the HMRC app - refund approved and cheque in the post.
This years S1’s to start September came though quick - applied 13/8, they arrived just before september (in UK) - posted 24/8. Now just to lodge them with CPAM…
I came across this news article indicating there’s an HMRC service ‘dashboard’ - some stuff is indicating 70 days. May be useful for the OP and others…
I was speaking to HMRC - it seems Madame needs a DTT form for state pension exemption.
Whilst on the line I asked what the turnaround time was now for lump sum pension payment reclaims and the lady said around 2 months now. She said that some mail which is less important (not a repayment request?) isn’t always prioritised but 2 months was the time now.
I needed to do a lump sum pension payment tax reclaim after the end of the last tax year. I was going to do it some time in April, and was surprised to receive a cheque through the post in mid April for the ammount I was reclaiming. HMRC had calculated the overpayment and repaid me, including the postage time, in about 11 days. I couldn’t believe it. My DTT application was also processed in about 5 weeks including posting time. I must just be lucky. BTW, my recent HMRC letters have come from the Netherlands, possibly because previously second class HMRC letters from the UK have taken 3 to 5 weeks to arrive. The ones from the Netherlands took about 3 days.
I tried using the form on the HMRC website, but the impots here would not accept it, because I didn’t give them a French version. There is an older version on the web, which has both English and French versions. I used this and HMRC didn’t seem to mind.
I am green with envy at (@hairbear) having your HMRC claims dealt with relatively quickly. It’s now 5 months since I submitted my tax treaty refund claim.
I asked the Impôts in advance if they’d like to see the ‘old’ English/French form for convenience/comprehension, alongside the (only in English) new form, and they very much liked that idea, and even offered to sign and stamp both!
You’d hope that HMRC and the Impôts would have mutually agreed on the format/language of the new tax treaty refund claim form, ie that HMRC wouldn’t have just gone ahead and dropped the French translation unilaterally… (as if!).
It would be quite interesting to see whether the exact reverse applies. In other words, whether (presumably mostly French?) residents of the UK who seeking a tax treaty based refund from the Impôts for certain French sources of income such as pensions etc have to ask HMRC to sign an equivalent version - presumably in French?!
It was the impots that I had trouble with. First, I booked an appointment and gave the reason why (still no drop in at our impots). I had to wait 5 weeks, and the day before got a text saying that they had cancelled my appointment as I didn’t need the form filling in (??). Thus ensued an email back and forth lasting several weeks that eventually went to the top guy at the impots here who basically said ‘Oh. OK. Yes, you can have this, send a copy of the paperwork’ (which they already had). So I did, and was then told ‘we need to confirm your revenue for this year’. Why, I don’t know. Eventually I was given an appointment where an official filled in and stamped the forms. It took about 5 months all told. HMRC took 5 weeks.
