HMRC – Tax refund delays

A number of our clients are experiencing long delays in receiving tax refunds from HMRC.

HMRC attribute these to the need for them to perform security checks in order to combat fraudulent claims.  In some cases, HMRC need more information in order to verify genuine claims.

They may issue a verification letter, either inviting the taxpayer to call them or requesting completion of a form to be returned along with proof of ID and other identifying data.

Taxpayers are under no legal obligation to respond to these questions but may find that repayments are withheld if they don’t. If concerned about the authenticity of the letter, the source can be checked by calling HMRC. They give some ‘check genuine HMRC contacts’ advice here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/check-a-list-of-genuine-hmrc-contacts#letters

Disclaimer - All information in this post was correct at time of writing.