HMRC Address Book

Postcodes not recognised

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Anyone else having client addresses rejected by HMRC?   Happens on CIS (2) and Self Assessent, all unconnected cases.  Just another ruse to get the client to contact them directly?   

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By gillybean04
26th Jul 2021 15:02

Have you checked the address is correct, on royal mail's database?

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Replying to gillybean04:
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By Open all hours
26th Jul 2021 15:11

On each occasion, yes.

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Replying to Open all hours:
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By gillybean04
26th Jul 2021 18:03

Sorry, that was the only issue I've had in the past - sometimes because they seemingly do not know their own post code.

I am, therefore, out of ideas.

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Replying to gillybean04:
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By Open all hours
27th Jul 2021 10:39

Same. Could just be coincidences which are as yet unexplained. Thanks.

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By Hugo Fair
26th Jul 2021 18:44

Are all the addresses rejected due to "postcode not recognised"?

This is one of the most frequently problematic fields on modern systems (particularly where, behind the scenes, the data is being validated against the Royal Mail PAF).
Reasons for a problem can vary (in no priority order) between:
* System insists on a space between the two portions, OR cannot handle such a space!
* User has confused 0 with O, or 1 with l, or VV with W, and so on.
* Postcode for a new build property has not yet been added to PAF database.
* Target system (in this case HMRC's) has a software flaw.

This last scenario is not as uncommon as you might hope ... per the 10s of thousands taxpayers initially wrongly identified by HMRC as being resident in Scotland or in Wales (despite having a postcode within England), and vice-versa!

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Cragside Lake
By Jacqueline Murray
27th Jul 2021 15:24

We have a client for whom we have done furlough claims since the beginning. Up until about three month ago putting in the postcode brought up their address in the drop down menu. Since then their particular property has disappeared from the list, if I search on the property number and the postcode I get a 'not recognised' error. I can, however, add the address maually.

I agree that something is not quite right with HMRC's address book.

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