Tbrimlow

thanks, we phoned many times and they never gave us that option, it would have been so much easier

Lynn R

I claimed a rebate from HMRC in 2015 when I had got my certificate of fiscal residence from AEAT after submitting the Spain (Individual) Double Taxation Form. They insisted it could only be paid by cheque sent to my Spanish address. I received it reasonably quickly (well for HMRC, it took around 6 weeks I think) but I then posted it to First Direct in the UK to be paid into my account with them, and it did not arrive. I contacted HMRC to ask for a replacement and they said it could take at least 9 weeks for it to reach me. I asked if it could be paid direct to my UK bank account in view of what had happened with the cheque going missing in the post, but they flatly refused. It took a little less, but was a complete pain and I waited a few more weeks until I was visiting the UK and could pay it in there. If taxpayers have a UK bank account I think it's really unreasonable of HMRC to refuse to make rebates by bank transfer - especially as when I arranged to pay a few years of voluntary NI contributions to boost my state pension, I was able to pay by bank transfer to them - so they will take your money by that route, but not refund it to you. Most unfair.

And I was (and still am) registered via the Government Gateway.

Tbrimlow

Totally unfair, it has caused us a lot of hardship not receiving that money in time, 11 weeks and now 3 more according to Santander, I hope it takes less as some of you said
thank you

tebo53

"I know a few people who never bothered to inform when they moved away from the Uk. Because just by saying you have a Spanish address doesn't remove you from the tax system"

Yes I informed HMRC about living in Spain and filled out the dual taxation forms which were accepted. I pay all my taxes in Spain.
It still didn't make any difference...

Steve

Tbrimlow

yes, we did as well

Lynn R

Apart from being terribly inconvenient for taxpayers (but since when have they bothered about that?), having to physically issue cheques, pay for envelopes to put them in and pay postage for them to be sent to taxpayers living overseas (I know rebates are routinely made direct to bank accounts for taxpayers who are resident in the UK), and then do it all over again when some go missing as mine did, must be a lot more expensive for HMRC than just processing bank transfers would be. But since when have they bothered about wasting money either?

Tbrimlow

You’re right, they don’t, the money we wasted on phone calls for them just to say “It takes 9 to 11 weeks” and it did, 11 weeks exactly 🙄 nearly 3 months for something that should take a couple of weeks

bobd22

​​​​​​I think that has changed since then. I got a UK tax rebate last year which was paid direct to my UK bank.
Here's a link about it
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/f...al-tax-account

tebo53

yes but you have to open a "Personal tax account" via the government gateway website and recieve any rebate or overpayment into it. As I understand it you still cannot just have it paid directly into your personal bank account.

Steve

bobd22

I do have a tax account re UK rental property but the rebate does go straight into my UK bank account. I'm nearly sure I have had that happen before I started renting all be it I was registered on the government gateway before doing self submission tax returns . Maybe that's the difference being registered on the government gateway? To be honest I can't see why UK citizen living abroad wouldnt be registered on the government gateway it even comes as a phone app. It makes life re HMRC etc much more simple and is easy to set up. Of course it's an individual choice .

Lynn R

I am registered on the Government Gateway, I was even before I left the UK in 2006. However HMRC still refused to pay my rebate into my UK bank account, the reason the person I spoke to on the phone gave was that I was not resident in the UK. Perhaps this has changed since my experience, but the fact that the OP experienced the same thing very recently suggests not.

bobd22

Lynn you mentioned in your previous post that your rebate was in 2015, the yougov link I posted says the change came about in 2016.certainly I have had rebates paid into my UK bank since 2016 and my HMRC record correctly shows me living in Spain.

amideislas

Cheques? I think those were abandoned around 2008 or something? A family member sent me a cheque for my birthday. My bank wouldn't accept it. It's in a drawer somewhere.

tebo53

Yes HMRC still issue cheques!!

Barriej

Nope my FIL still sends them drawn on his Uk bank (he has lived here for 20 years) and sends them to my kids every year.
My wife used to get one as well for her birthday (but since we have been here she gets nothing now)...