I have two roles within the NHS, which has resulted in overpayments of national insurance each year.
Since Covid, the refund system has slowly ground to a halt. I was told in October that I am owed £2,200 and that it could take 33 weeks to receive the payment.
I don’t feel inclined to lend the government money with no expected interest.
JM, Oxfordshire
In 33 weeks you could circumnavigate the world or gestate a baby but in the parallel universe of HMRC, that’s how long it takes to press the keys for a bank transfer.
In May, HMRC was criticised for taking more than four months to process some tax and NI refunds that used to take nearer four weeks. At the time, HMRC said it was recruiting more staff to cope with the backlog, which pales in comparison with the timescale you’ve been quoted.
Since it is surely the calculation of your dues that is the complex bit, you would think the actual refund would be straightforward.
And so it proves to be when HMRC knows the media are looking. Your money arrived within seven days of my contact, and HMRC, notorious for its aversion to telephones, even managed to give you a call to apologise.
Is 33 weeks the new normal? I asked. “We’ve seen increased demand on our national insurance services, but we’re recruiting hundreds of extra staff to reduce delays,” a spokesperson responded.
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