lansbury

I have 2 pensions one a government service one tax in the UK and a UK annuity taxed in the US.

Now I'm a US citizen I filed the paperwork to have my government service pension exempted from UK tax. The result my tax office in Cardiff decides to change my tax code so my government service pension is taxed more to cover tax due on the annuity, and the tax office in Liverpool tell my annuity payer to withhold basic rate tax from the annuity. So I now am paying 40% tax on a pension I shouldn't being paying any tax on.

To make if difficult to resolve none the of the clowns dealing with this have an e-mail address and it all has to be done by post taking about 10 days each way. You know you are dealing with incompetents when mail arrives addressed to me at street name, Milwaukie, Oregon, USA, Abroad Unknown.

Zonie

I sympathize, my wife's pensions are still being taxed at basic rate even though we received a letter from the HMRC non- resident unit stating they are are now free from UK tax. That was June last year.

Try this link for email (although it is not to your tax offices)
http://search2.hmrc.gov.uk/kbroker/h...0&raction=view

Good luck.

lansbury

Thanks for the link at least that gives an option to e-mail the non residents office in Liverpool. They seem to have decided to get involved even though my tax is done at the office in Cardiff which deals with government employees and their subsequent pensions.

SarahG

I am very interested in how this works out as I have a 12 year Civil Service Pension currently frozen. I am hopeful that I will too become a US citizen eventually, currently H4. The woman I spoke to at the Pension place was clueless as to what she needed to do regarding my pension and updating the address for contact. (I have about 31 years until I can collect it though assuming it is when I am 65) Each time I deal with HMRC I always want to have a stiff drink afterwards!

rew1000

Just to add the HMRC Residency department seem to be very on the ball, and will communicate via email. Definitely worth getting them involved.

lansbury

Have to disagree with that. It is that office who decided to tell my annuity provider to withhold tax on the annuity, even though my tax is done at a different office who had already erroneously decided to tax my annuity. So because the Residency department decided to interfere without consulting my tax office they double taxed me on a pension which should be paid tax free. It isn't rocket science my unique tax reference number should have alerted them to my tax being handled at the Public Departments office in Cardiff.

Why it all went bent I don't know as the annuity was paid tax free from Jan 2007 until November 2009. It seems the paperwork to exempt my government service pension from UK tax threw a spanner in the works.

Peter Newton

I've been fighting with Her Majesty's Revenue & Customs as they deleted my tax agent account- same thing, you can only deal with them by post, and when their letters arrive they are addressed to "Douglaston, New York, FOREIGN". Looks like they are also mailing their letters from Malta!

I suppose one doesn't have time to deal with one's subjects, especially if they have defected to the colonies!

lansbury

At least you are Foreign I am Abroad Unknown they must not have realised the wagons trains have reached Oregon yet. As you say the letters look like they are posted in Malta so I guess they don't want to have to deal with expats who have gone over to the enemy, we must be the new untouchable caste. I received a letter last week which the Residency Department in Liverpool had dated December 16th, best part of 6 weeks to arrive.