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Thank you Tom and the anonymous help desk chap
I haven't been able to view statements for a while, always getting an Explorer error message which included "The file could not be written to the cache". After phoning the help desk several times and trying various things I gave up - that one tick in the Tools, Options box has worked. Wonderful!!
ELS emailed statements
For me, the agent statements (not payslips) have only become necessary since the Revenue stopped emailing them, usually in batches, every couple of months till 2005.
Therefore, I could have done without the agent copies from 1997. As it was, we received up to 3 statements, and now we're lucky if we get one, without trawling through the online client list.
In my circumstances therefore, they have got this almost exactly backwards, and they could have IINTRODUCED agent copies in 2006 not withdrawn them in 2008.
In the early days I was also able to obtain blank giro payslips, but think this may no longer be possible. Backwards again.
Copy statements to agents was one of the promises made by the Revenue as their part of the SA project, and upholding this promise might be why they are not planning to do away with them altogether.
Great
Tom -Thanks so much for posting the answer - now I can see what my clients have been sent !
Blank pdf's
Geoff
I had the same problem and after a half a day's effort it's been sorted. My computer man advised that Adobe Reader 9 is fraught with problems, so uninstalled it and installed Adobe Reader 8. We still had a blank page on the Portal so I agreed with him that I'd try the IR online helpdesk.
On the basis that I'd never, ever sorted anything satisfactorily by this route in around 8 years, I was amazed to speak to someone who was clearly out of place in that organisation and who cured the problem in 3 minutes.
His solution was as follows. Internet Explorer - Tools - Options - Advanced - around 11 items from the bottom "Do not save encryted pages to disk" - tick that box. It worked for me!
Please don't take this as authoritative advice as I know b-gg-rall about computers. Good Luck.
95% reliable - I wish
And then I try and hook out a statement from the online system because the cumulative position figure doesn't make any sense when you look at the individual years. The system lets me through to open a pdf of the statement. Only the pdf opens to a 'Done' state with nothing appearing on screen (same applies to all clients). Online Services are going to investigate why this is happening and call me back. Sometime.
That's more efficient?
Geoff
that was a balanced and reasoned reply , though my view with compulsory online filing is that all agents have computer access and the online statements have all the paper ones do and more
Horses for courses
No doubt. The online system is splendid and is a wonderful paid of braces. Some people rely on the belt that is the printed statement and some of us like both and just use the best means available for the task that is to hand.
I can understand luddites not using the online system and gadget junkies not wanting the paper system. It's the Revenue hypocrisy that gets on my nerves. It's a vital system or it ain't. And until their system is something above 95% reliable it remains a vital system.
i still disagree tho i hear your comments
we have this discussion every so often - may i suggest that you have a look at the SOA payments section on line and see how much more useful they are. is a paper statement really the only or best way of checking the office ? come on guys
Voice of the luddite
So I want to know which tax office is dealing with a client. Compare and contrast: Open file, flip to agent's statement, there you go. 4-5 secs?
Some clients don't even have that information accessible online Or, log onto IR, enter code and password, click enter, click to go through to SA, enter client name, select the right client, click view statements. If it's working, you'll have a statement which is a pdf, which will open slowly and there's your info. I just did this as an experiment to see how long it would take and it tells me the pdf downloading is done but there's nothing on screen. Damn, it's screwed up again. Even when it works, the whole process takes around 20-30 times as long. And this on a 3-month old fast PC.
But finally Nicholas, if they're doing this because it's more efficient online, why are they planning to bring them back?
But electronic statements . .
. .. don't have payslips attached.
The main use of the paper statements was to provide payslips for those clients who claimed not to have received one. I can't see any way to print a payslip from the website.
Yes, I know that there are electronic options, but I can't be alone in having clients who simply refuse to contemplate that possibility. And I can't be the only one with a low opinion of Shipley's ability to correctly process a payment sent with a covering letter as opposed to a payslip
Me as well
Well summarised Geoff. Like you, I use the statements to confirm the correct tax office amongst other things.
This was the first I'd heard of this effective breach of data protection. The important part of Working Together 33 reads "In the light of the stricter data security requirements imposed across all government departments" ......
Imposed by whom? On the basis that somebody has re-interpreted data protection law, where or what is the purported breach? As usual we have zilch explanation from HMRC.
I appreciate that there may well be some paperless offices, but I can't think of any other good reason why these useful documents should be shredded.
Couldn't agree more!
About the only thing that seems to work and give clear, concise and useful information is taken away at a stroke!
Can we not demand that they be re-instated?
agree
I agree wholeheartedly.
This is a real nuisance now because I am one of those agents dor whom the view statements online is working.
I have found these statements on paper particularly useful because they can throw up anomalies quickly by a flick through.
I also agree that the additional availability of payslips is exremely handy. They save time and letter writing for those clients whopass thei tax payments throughus