The HM Revenue & Customs mistakenly assigned my National Insurance (NI) number to another individual who has now passed away. Consequently, they are refusing to process my pension top-up request because, according to their records, I am deceased.
I first received my NI number back in 1991 when I relocated to the UK for a six-year employment stint.
In 2015, when I returned to the UK for work, HMRC was unable to locate my original NI number and instead issued me a temporary one. Since then, I have been intermittently trying to reclaim my original NI number, which involved countless hours on hold with HMRC, sending multiple letters, and making several visits to their offices, all without success. Recently, I was informed that it might take up to 86 weeks to receive a response.
The situation has become urgent as I need to submit my state pension forecast application. It is extremely distressing to be incorrectly listed as “deceased” in their system.
JH
County Clare, Ireland
An NI number is intended to be a lifelong identifier. It plays a vital role in an individual’s identity and mishandling it can lead to serious issues like identity theft or problems with tax and pension entitlements. I am therefore bewildered by the lack of concern shown by HMRC.
I questioned them about how this error occurred and the steps needed to correct my status from deceased to alive. The response from HMRC was unexpectedly prompt and helpful, considering their previous inaction. Within five days, they contacted me, provided an explanation, and offered a resolution.
It turns out that the NI number issued to me in 1991 was already assigned to someone else. It remains a mystery how I was able to work for six years without this error being detected, and HMRC has stated that too much time has passed for them to investigate how the mistake happened. A significant portion of this time was lost due to their own delays, which is inexcusable.
Now, prompted by the potential of public scrutiny, they have instructed me to apply for a new NI number from the Department for Work and Pensions. Once I obtain this, HMRC plans to recover and consolidate the personal information associated with my previous two numbers.
Given their track record and the complex task of separating my employment records from those of the deceased individual, I am not very confident that this will be resolved quickly or smoothly.
HMRC has offered a meager £250 in compensation. I have advised seeking professional advice since, with potentially three NI numbers soon to be associated with my name, there could be significant discrepancies in my entitlements or liabilities.
We welcome letters but cannot respond to each one individually. Please send your inquiries to consumer.champions@theguardian.com or mail them to Consumer Champions, Money, the Guardian, 90 York Way, London N1 9GU. Include a daytime phone number. All letters are published under our terms and conditions.
Similar Posts:
- HMRC Owes £2,200: Could Take 33 Weeks for Repayment!
- HMRC Halts Child Benefit Crackdown: 23,500 Families Impacted by Data Blunder!
- Shocking Surprise: Woman Hit With £170 Parking Fine After Six Years!
- Civil Service Pension Blunder: Retiree Owed £21,300 Five Months Post-Retirement!
- Unbelievable Hotel Mix-Up: Booked a Bear Hotel, But Not the One 50 Miles Away!
