Having had problems in the past in respect of our own PAYE scheme with HMRC mis-posting electronic payments, I reverted back to paying by cheque - on time - every month without fail. Six days after month 11 was due I received a call from a very rude man asking questions about whether the liability had been paid, the cheque number etc and with a final flourish of "Has the cheque cleared your bank account?". I checked whilst he was still on the phone and confirmed that it had to which he responded "Thank you for your help" and hung up - no apology, no attempt to find out why HMRC systems led him to believe that the liability had not been paid.
A week later I received a demand by post! I rang to speak to the debt management team who confirmed that a payment had been received for the correct amount and on time but that it was "locked" whatever that may mean. The person was very helpful and "unlocked" the payment.
These people are about to delve into people's bank accounts for "unpaid" amounts. The harm that this will cause to businesses does not bear thinking about!
My answers
Personally experienced!
Having had problems in the past in respect of our own PAYE scheme with HMRC mis-posting electronic payments, I reverted back to paying by cheque - on time - every month without fail. Six days after month 11 was due I received a call from a very rude man asking questions about whether the liability had been paid, the cheque number etc and with a final flourish of "Has the cheque cleared your bank account?". I checked whilst he was still on the phone and confirmed that it had to which he responded "Thank you for your help" and hung up - no apology, no attempt to find out why HMRC systems led him to believe that the liability had not been paid.
A week later I received a demand by post! I rang to speak to the debt management team who confirmed that a payment had been received for the correct amount and on time but that it was "locked" whatever that may mean. The person was very helpful and "unlocked" the payment.
These people are about to delve into people's bank accounts for "unpaid" amounts. The harm that this will cause to businesses does not bear thinking about!