I paid a £735.84 tax bill pertaining to my late father’s estate via my local Post Office, but 18 months on, HMRC still says it has not received it.
Throughout 2016 I received demands from HMRC despite having a receipt from the Post Office showing I had paid it. The latter told me to contact its bank to trace the missing payment.
But the bank would not talk to me about the account and referred me back to the Post Office, which said it was closing the complaint.
I’ve since had to pay HMRC the sum again, plus interest and fees. It’s bad enough to lose my adored father without this additional worry. SS, Forfar, Angus
This saga took weeks to resolve, partly because data protection rules forbid HMRC and the Post Office from talking to each other about your account.
The Post Office admitted to me that it accepted your payment and processed it in the usual way, but that when it reached HMRC’s clearing bank it could not be matched to your account.
“Although the payment was made at one of our branches, data protection regulations require that only the receiving bank can discuss this matter with HMRC, so unfortunately we were unable to resolve this matter on his behalf,” said a spokesperson.
HMRC eventually discovered that the payment was received without a reference number so it went into limbo.
It has now refunded you the second payment and the interest, but you reckon you would still be out of pocket if you had not contacted the media.
If you need help email Anna Tims at your.problems@observer.co.uk or write to Your Problems, The Observer, Kings Place, 90 York Way, London N1 9GU. Include an address and phone number.
