HMRC P800 Tax Underpaid

[torky_d]

Hi.

 

 

I'm a doctor with the NHS, here on a work permit since 2010. I have recently received a notice from HMRC which claims I have underpaid tax for the year 2010-2011, and that I owe ca. £3500 in back taxes. They also claim that they have brought this to my notice in the subsequent years, but I have received no correspondence from them, apart from an initial notice in 2011 advising that my tax code is being changed. (This notice even has the wrong NI number on it.)

 

My tax has always been deducted at source by my employer (the local health board) and I am at a loss to understand how this has happened. They have given me until December the 31st to pay this up, and with an imminent application for an ILR, I'm apprehensive about what'd count against me, and therefore inclined to just pay this off, but this is not an insignificant sum of money.

 

 

I'd be very grateful for some informed advice on this.

 

Many thanks in advance.

 

PS: I do apologise if this issue has been discussed earlier in a different thread, I'd be grateful if you point me to it in this case. A cursory search did not reveal similar circumstances and I'm getting rather antsy with the deadline approaching.

Edited December 17, 2014 by torky_d
Apology added

[blondebubbles]

First thing to do would be to establish if you do owe the tax and agree with their calculations.

[torky_d]

First thing to do would be to establish if you do owe the tax and agree with their calculations.

 

Many thanks for your reply.

 

Whilst I'm working on that, I was just wondering that if it does turn out their calculations are correct, what is the legal status on this? I'd have thought that the onus is on HMRC to prove that I owe tax and that they notified me within the stipulated time of the next tax year. Can they just say "Well, we've sent you the letters and whether you got them or not isn't our problem."? What's to say that they haven't messed up in the correspondence department, if they've messed up in the calculations department?

[blondebubbles]

How do you know it was them that have made the mistake and not your employer?

 

You could make a subject access request for details of all correspondence they have sent you.