I have two jobs in the NHS which results in annual National Insurance overpayments.
After Covid, the refund system gradually stopped. In October I was told I was owed £2,200 and that it could take 33 weeks to receive payment.
I am not inclined to lend money to the government without the expected interest.
JM, Oxfordshire
In 33 weeks you could travel around the world or carry a child, but in a parallel universe HMRCThis is exactly how long it takes to press the bank transfer keys.
In May, HMRC came under fire for accepting more than four months to process some tax and NI refunds which previously took around four weeks. At the time, HMRC said it was recruiting more staff to cope with the backlog, which paled in comparison to the timeframe you quoted.
Since by far the most difficult part is calculating your premiums, you would think that the actual reimbursement would be simple.
And so it goes when HMRC finds out what the media are looking for. Your money arrived within seven days of me contacting you, and HMRC, known for his aversion to phonesI even managed to call you and apologize.
Is 33 weeks the new normal? I asked. “We are seeing increased demand for our national insurance services, but we are recruiting hundreds of additional staff to reduce delays,” the spokesman responded.
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