oldandbold

Barclays have closed down our UK accounts.
HMRC issued a tax refund in sterling and sent it to our Australian address. Westpac will no longer process sterling cheques and I am unable now to pay it into our recently closed UK accounts.
Is there anyway I can get a sterling cheque cashed in Australia or anyone have any ideas how to get a sterling cheque paid into an Australian bank account.

The situation is ridiculous seeing as UK quite happy to pay pension into an Australian account in AUD but I am stuck with a useless cheque atm

BristolUK

This https://community.hmrc.gov.uk/custom...0-00155d9c7b3d would seem to confirm you have little choice

I suppose there are "money shops" who may cash it for a sizable fee. Or you get someone with a UK account to have it for you and transfer.

But Wise - used to be Transferwise - can set you up with an account that works like a UK bank, with sort codes and the like.

Wise is a BE forum favourite

oldandbold

Unfortunately you cant pay a cheque into wise

old.sparkles

But can they do a bank transfer instead?

I know wise can give a account and sort code that appears as a UK account from discussions on the forum, but don't have an account so don't know the answer I'm afraid.

BristolUK

Yes, that's what I was thinking. Set the account up - doable unlike a regular UK where you have to be resident - return the cheque with the sort code and account number for the transfer.

A slight delay but avoids all the other charges from alternative solutions.

Pulaski

The costs for international depositing/ cashing of paper drafts/ cheques have always been eye-wateringly high - in the range of £200-£250, or local equivalent, so almost anything would be better than trying to cash or deposit your cheque.

The problem from the bank's perspective is that there is a high risk (to the bank) of fraud, making the process of accepting a fraudulent cheque and trying to receive the value of it from the bank it purports to be drawn on, at best, a waste of their time, for which they won't get paid.

Pollyana

HMRC insist on issuing cheques, they don't seem interested in bank transfers - I am currently locked in combat with them over why they won't do a transfer for a considerable amount, when they have already sent two cheques which have got lost!
Likewise, apparently an HMRC cheque can only be paid into the payees bank account, its not one which can be signed over and paid into someone else's account, and then transferred back.

BristolUK

That link I posted above is HMRC saying this
I guess it's possible they might spot "Wise" as not being a bank account but I have cash transfers set up where the bank has changed its name. I have left the name unchanged so the bank name showing ostensibly doesn't exist but the sort code and account number ensures it's paid properly. The bank name, therefore seems irrelevant.

Pollyana

That's interesting as they are currently refusing to send a tax refund by bank transfer, to a Barclays account, UK resident! They keep sending cheques (allegedly!) and they say the cheque can only be paid into the payees account, not signed over to someone else for banking.

BristolUK

This might be one of those situations where individual staff members are trained in "the norm" sticking to what they've been told or read in their office manual/guidance or aide memoir written for the norm, and don't know about exceptions.

"it's fiddly so we try to avoid it" becomes "no, we don't do that" if you see what I mean.

Pulaski

I have had two colleagues who. at separate times, fell into exactly that trap, telling me, not asking, and with great confidence, when reporting a conversation they had with another employee, "I told him that we (our employer) doesn't provide that service.", which was particularly unfortunate as one of the roles I have involves working directly with the department that provides precisely the service that they denied our employer provides!

rammygirl

Any Uk tax refunds we have (and they know we are non resident) are paid into our UK bank account (with an Australian address). The tax return has the bank details on it. Either a system problem or simply speaking to the ‘wrong’ person!
Once took me ages to sort out an old UK phone account from Australia…..then one day I rang and a guy said “looks like this has been going on a while…..let’s just apply some common sense and override the system. Not difficult”. Just because system isn’t set up to allow exceptions it doesn’t mean they can’t be done.

oldandbold

But the problem is.... Barclays have just shut down my UK bank accounts although they had previously been quite happy with our Australian addresses for the last 15 years, they are not the only banks doing this to non uk residents and it is difficult opening up a new uk bank account with a foreign residential address

rammygirl

Sorry I was replying to Pollyanna who does have an account. I should have quoted it.

Yes there are reports of private pension companies now refusing to deal with non residents. Something about financial advice and money laundering. This is having many unforeseen consequences as financial institutions put people into the too hard file.
It doesn’t seem to be stopping the very high net worth people from continuing to avoid tax etc though……….

tdrinker

This is my gripe - the regulations inconvenience me but don't appear to impact the wealthy, or stop career criminals who must be moving money through the banking system and in some cases use it in their crimes (online fraud).