Thank you for your reply. Unfortunately they wrote to me in January 2012, so I do not think this will apply for me. I am currently drafting a letter to HMRC with the aim to send it on Monday. Congratulations on your victory though, it does bring me some hope .

Thank you - that would be very much appreciated!

Gbarbm - thank you for your reply. I can answer yes/yes/no to those questions. As I understand things, the problem may be that my ex-employer failed to correctly deduct PAYE at the basic rate for the year (at least that is the theory that HMRC have put forward to me). My P45 (part 1A) does not show payments or tax deductions in relation to my redundancy package - just my salaried pay and deductions from that.

Hello. I was made redundant in June 2010, but due to long length of service and it being 'voluntary' it was a very generous settlement. The problem is HMRC wrote to me on January 31st this year to say that I had underpaid tax on it by £6,833.60. This was set out with a P800 form. The tax year in question is quoted as year ended 5 April 2011. After speaking to them, they advised I go back to my employer and check with them as to how they based their calculations at the time of my final payment, and to provide breakdowns of this. I have written to them twice now, and have had no reply. Obviously HMRC are keen for a resolution on this. I would therefore be grateful for any advice on how I should proceed. Having re-read my separation agreement, their is a clause in there that absolves my ex-employer from any problems that may arise with regards to PAYE tax claims from HMRC, which pretty much seems to rule out taking up any complaint with them. I am also a bit annoyed that it has taken HMRC this long to get around to notifying me of the problem. I appreciate that at the end of the day the only advice may be that there is nothing I can do other make arrangements with HMRC to pay this amount. If so, please feel free to tell me that! What I would like to know particularly is how I can ensure that they are entitled to this full amount, and if there is any way for me to register a strong complaint over their delay in handling this (a delay which has caused me some frustration, and put me a bit in a hole regarding my current plans).

Hello. I have suffering with severe depression, and been off work since 2007, and not been receiving any income for over a year now. I had become extremely reclusive in this time, and not had been refusing outside contact with the world. I am now well on the road to recovery, and trying to move forward by tackling the mess that has resulted. I am being chased for a number of debts by various DCA’s (it is quite hard to keep track of, as they seem to change every few months!). The debts total over £15k, and are mostly non-payment of loans and CC debts. I have now successfully started to claim Employment Support Allowance, and am expecting my first payment at any time (backdated to November last year, the earliest I could go). I am still officially employed, and as long as my recovery continues I am hoping to return to work around June time. I really now need advice on how to deal with my debt. The letters I have got recently are requesting payment within a certain amount of days or they “may instigate legal proceedings”. One even mentions filing for bankruptcy. There have been many phone calls as well, but as I don’t answer the telephone they get to leave me messages instead. However, I would like to get back to being confident enough to answer my phone, and have a plan of what to say! Whilst I am not trying to dodge my responsibilities, I am also mindful that my current £65 a week benefits is not going to get me very far. If I successfully return to work though, my salary will be significantly more. Is there any way for me to put off repayment agreements until I start working again; or should I be trying to put something in place now? How should I go about approaching these organisations? Should I put things in writing, or contact them by phone? Any advice people can give me would be very helpful. Whilst I have read many of the stickied threads here, I am still confused about the best way to start the ball rolling!

Hello there. I have been suffering from recurring depression for the last 10 years. In 2007 I was signed off work, and have not worked since then. In May 2008 a psychiatrist diagnosed me with severe recurring depression. In between these times, I developed a fear of going outside and became a virtual hermit. I stopped having anything to do with the outside world. I often contemplated suicide. Today, I am a lot better. However, due to my retreat into myself, I had not been claiming any financial help. I did attempt to claim IB and ESA during these times, but found dealing with the Benefits Agency to be a very scary and distressing thing. Several times after speaking to them I would be in such a state that taking my life would appeal to me. Even when getting over those thoughts, I would still end up retreating to the comfort of my duvet. Whilst I am still currently employed, my employer stopped paying me any wages at all in May last year (SSP had expired in 2008, but the amount they continued to pay me was sufficient for my needs given my condition). This has led to quite a bit of financial hardship, and if it wasn’t for friends looking out for me, and an extremely patient and understanding landlord, I don’t know where I would be. Since November last year though, I have been steadily improving. I tried to claim Housing Benefit, but got turned down for it because I “had no regular income”. So, I have had to go through claiming ESA first to be considered for any help with my rent. I have a claim currently crawling through the system. I understand however that I can only backdate my claim for 3 months, which given the length of my illness and lack of any income, I feel quite aggrieved about. I’m in my forties, and have been employed ever since I left school at 16; paying taxes and NI for 25 years. I understand though that these are the rules, and there is no getting round them – so be it. My major concern though is that now I am well enough to follow through with a claim, will that impact upon my assessment for benefit? I am just about to embark on the process of arranging a (hopefully!) return to work with my employer. However, I am not sure if I should tell the Benefits people that, as they may take it as an indication that I am fit for work and therefore not eligible for benefits. I would like to know if anyone has any advice they can offer on how I should approach this situation? I am in the strange position of seeking advice here, rather than shutting myself away and making myself ill by stressing out!