HMRC told me they sent me letter but it hasn't arrived after two months.

[Block]

Hello,

I sent of my CF83 form to HMRC in December and rang up national insurance earlier this month. They told me they had sent me a letter, to my Japan address, asking for more information about my work history. They told me they sent it in late February but I still haven't received it.

Has anybody else had experience with letters from HMRC taking a long time to arrive? I'd rather not go through the time and expense of ringing them again and they don't respond to my emails.

Thank you.

[Tkydon]

Did you send it registered / recorded delivery?

[Block]

Thanks for the reply but, just to clarify, I'm talking about HMRC sending a letter to my Japan address.

[kuma]

That's frustrating. I think many people experience what could be termed communication anomalies with HMRC. Two months sounds excessive... something may have gone awry there.

One thing the Student Loans Company (SLC) does well is send correspondence via secure electronic messages in addition to hard copies. They archive everything electronically too. If HMRC were to do the same (don't think they do, but could be mistaken?), then many 'lost in the post' issues would be resolved.

Did they say they'd resend the letter? Did they provide details over the phone as to the extra information they are requesting? Did they read out the address they have for you so as to confirm that it is correct? (The overseas address box on CF83 is not huge; could the address have become mangled at the stage when they input the entry into the computer?)

One thought... An HMRC Subject Access Request (SAR) could be made for a copy of correspondence. There's a chance that the SAR team are different than the team dealing with the NIC applications, and there's a chance they could be more efficient in responding. The SAR is something you could make online in minutes:

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/hmrc-subject-access-request
https://retirewiki.jp/wiki/United_Kingd ... uest_(SAR)

Also, if you are being asked to supply further information regarding your work history, an SAR for employment history / NICs could help you compile some data of your work in the UK / NICs prior to moving overseas. This topic gives some pointers as to what data HMRC might supply you with if you make an SAR for an employment record:

viewtopic.php?t=2772&hilit=subject+access+request

Do you have any idea what further data they might want? Did you supply full dates of your work overseas?

Keep persevering!

[Block]

Thanks for the reply Kuma.

It was when I phoned them that they told me they had sent me the letter. It's regarding my work history in Japan. So, the Subject Access Request wont help.

[Wales4rugbyWC23]

HMRC and Royal Mail two organisations with probably the worst customer service in the UK.

[RetireJapan]

Has anybody else had experience with letters from HMRC taking a long time to arrive?

Oh, YES. I used to get letters from HMRC that had been sent to Malta for some reason, and then forwarded on from there. Used to take 2-3 months each time.

Have no idea why.

[Block]

Thanks for the information all.

[kuma]

An SAR to request a copy of the correspondence they claim to have sent is a possibility if the letter fails to materialise. But, RJ himself says that the current timeframe is within their parameters.

(Re RJ's point that HMRC mail sometimes comes from other countries; my former university has been doing this for years. Usually from Malta or Hungary if memory serves me correctly; presumably chosen for cost, and savings could be huge for organisations doing bulk mailings. They've always been efficient, though!)

[Block]

Interesting, Thanks you.