For years, Susan tried relentlessly to resolve a tax problem on her own. Each attempt left her more stressed and uncertain, as she felt she was only making things worse.
In 2018/19, Susan received a notice of underpayment of Income Tax for £1,461. She thought the issue came from changing jobs during that year. She made numerous calls to HMRC – including a joint call with her employer – and felt assured that the matter had been resolved.
But Susan kept getting tax demands, from £200 to £4,000. By early 2024, after receiving yet another demand, she was losing confidence in her ability to sort out the problem herself.
Nowhere to turn
Susan was only able to work part-time as she cared for her disabled son. Her annual income was just £10,000, supplemented by Universal Credit, and she could not afford professional tax advice. After years of trying and failing to resolve the issue, she felt overwhelmed and deeply anxious about the future.
Finding help with TaxAid
Susan reached out to us and our adviser carefully reviewed her case. We found that her new employer had applied the correct tax code, but HMRC had made a mistake. HMRC’s records showed that Susan had tried to sort out the issue and that the tax demands had been issued inconsistently.
With this evidence, we submitted an appeal on Susan’s behalf, highlighting both HMRC’s role in the error and Susan’s financial hardship.
The appeal was successful: HMRC waived the tax debt in full.
A weight lifted
For Susan, this was more than just a financial relief – it lifted a weight she had been carrying for years. She told us:
“Thank you very much for all your help. I don’t think it has quite sunk in yet. I’ve had some difficult things happen recently and this is the first bit of good news I have had in a long time.”