DSP error on revenue books for 20 years

CramCycle

So an old college friend had a DSP payment for one year 20 years ago and had never recieved it since (single parent payment or some such, but she was over the limit (by less than 100pound) and had to pay it back).

It turns out that the DSP had reported to revenue that she was still recieving this, every year for the past 20 years. only when she recently started checking her online tax details, her girlfriend queried the payment.

She goes into the tax offie and the person behind the desk in the tax office explained they changed systems a few years ago and a load of payments became a generic "DSP payment" or "DSP pension payment".

She has recovered overpaid taxes for the last four years but in truth, thanks to an error by the DSP she has overpaid taxes for 15 years. She is happy to get that back but I was just thinking, surely that is a fault of the DSP, is there any person to contact in revenue to correct this error or is it a case of it is outside the last four years, tough sh1t for her? I was surprised she was so blase but I would love to tell her, well, actually, you could do this if you wanted.

shugy

How does one see their online tax? And does it go back that far?

CramCycle

Sign up for myaccount with revenue.ie

I know I can see back to the last four years in regards updating but I can also see my P21 requests from the first time I requested one online.

barneystinson

CramCycle wrote: »

So an old college friend had a DSP payment for one year 20 years ago and had never recieved it since (single parent payment or some such, but she was over the limit (by less than 100pound) and had to pay it back).

It turns out that the DSP had reported to revenue that she was still recieving this, every year for the past 20 years. only when she recently started checking her online tax details, her girlfriend queried the payment.

She goes into the tax offie and the person behind the desk in the tax office explained they changed systems a few years ago and a load of payments became a generic "DSP payment" or "DSP pension payment".

She has recovered overpaid taxes for the last four years but in truth, thanks to an error by the DSP she has overpaid taxes for 15 years. She is happy to get that back but I was just thinking, surely that is a fault of the DSP, is there any person to contact in revenue to correct this error or is it a case of it is outside the last four years, tough sh1t for her? I was surprised she was so blase but I would love to tell her, well, actually, you could do this if you wanted.

Unfortunately the responsibility rests with the individual to ensure they have paid the correct amount of tax, and they have 4 years to address any overpaid amounts and claim their repayment.

It's difficult to justify feeling wronged if you haven't copped an issue like this for 20 years yourself - up to a couple of years ago Revenue used to issue everyone with their tax credit certificate every year, and the adjustment you refer to would have been clearly printed on it, every year...

DanDublin1982

barneystinson wrote: »

Unfortunately the responsibility rests with the individual to ensure they have paid the correct amount of tax, and they have 4 years to address any overpaid amounts and claim their repayment.

It's difficult to justify feeling wronged if you haven't copped an issue like this for 20 years yourself - up to a couple of years ago Revenue used to issue everyone with their tax credit certificate every year, and the adjustment you refer to would have been clearly printed on it, every year...

This isn't a tax credits (formerly tax free allowance) issue by the sounds of it? Some social welfare payments are taxable so revenue receives details of how much was received by each person in any given year. Not a x person is on y payment type details, specifically a x person received y amount of money type details. How they'd get that wrong and it would lead to a tax liability is somewhat beyond me to be honest though.

CramCycle

barneystinson wrote: »

Unfortunately the responsibility rests with the individual to ensure they have paid the correct amount of tax, and they have 4 years to address any overpaid amounts and claim their repayment.

It's difficult to justify feeling wronged if you haven't copped an issue like this for 20 years yourself - up to a couple of years ago Revenue used to issue everyone with their tax credit certificate every year, and the adjustment you refer to would have been clearly printed on it, every year...

I agree to a point, I have always filled out my forms and requested my P21 since I started paying tax and people told me it is worth checking out. if noone had told me, I never would have known. 20 years now and not once have they not given me a repayment for an error either on their part or my employers accountants part.

I just feel that some people assume that surely, tax would be applied properly, from a quick google, it would appear that issues with DSP payments staying on the books are common place. Imagine if you had little experience of being on the books, or previously were quite a low earner. I don't think it is inconcievable that you may not realise.

I did have to bite my toungue as I nearly asked how did you not notice, FFS. Then I realised I rarely looked at my tax credit cert. I sorted at the end of the year.

I suppose I knew posting the thread that there was nothing could be done, hopefully it will help highlight to a few people to checck their sh1t out with the tax man.

shugy

CramCycle wrote: »

Sign up for myaccount with revenue.ie

I know I can see back to the last four years in regards updating but I can also see my P21 requests from the first time I requested one online.

how?

CramCycle

DanDublin1982 wrote: »

This isn't a tax credits (formerly tax free allowance) issue by the sounds of it? Some social welfare payments are taxable so revenue receives details of how much was received by each person in any given year. Not a x person is on y payment type details, specifically a x person received y amount of money type details. How they'd get that wrong and it would lead to a tax liability is somewhat beyond me to be honest though.

It was a payment, not a credit. apparently it just never disappeared.

I suppose the most bizarre thing was that she was told she had to repay it, when she did finally notice the amount on her accounts, she honestly believed it was still some weird form of repayment or something, only when her partner said hold on, she checked into it.

Many people are very trusting of what the tax man puts on a form for them

CramCycle

shugy wrote: »

how?

Go here and follow instructions:
https://www.ros.ie/myaccount-web/register.html?execution=e1s1

Mrs OBumble

If I was her, I'd be making my TD earn his money on this one. It might not get her any more cash back, but it would up the ante in terms of making them get it right for other people

CramCycle

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

If I was her, I'd be making my TD earn his money on this one. It might not get her any more cash back, but it would up the ante in terms of making them get it right for other people

Considering how blase she was about it, she seemd happy to just get the money for the last few years (which was a couple of grand a year), I don't think she will put in any effort on it. I have put more effort than her in just by raising the thread.

I will certainly raise it with my local TD though as a point.

DanDublin1982

CramCycle wrote: »

It was a payment, not a credit. apparently it just never disappeared.

I suppose the most bizarre thing was that she was told she had to repay it, when she did finally notice the amount on her accounts, she honestly believed it was still some weird form of repayment or something, only when her partner said hold on, she checked into it.

Many people are very trusting of what the tax man puts on a form for them

If I understand the systems correctly (I definitely understand one of them) the "screw up" would have to be on the revenue side. The DSP can't report that a payment was paid if it wasn't (payments revert and expire and etc).

Anyway, a letter might be worth a try, at least get it looked into a bit further.

CramCycle

DanDublin1982 wrote: »

If I understand the systems correctly (I definitely understand one of them) the "screw up" would have to be on the revenue side. The DSP can't report that a payment was paid if it wasn't (payments revert and expire and etc).

Anyway, a letter might be worth a try, at least get it looked into a bit further.

The way I have read up on it is that Revenue assume the payment has not stopped unless informed otherwise by the DSP (internet facts, no actual knowledge). Which is stupid because it was a parent payment. The person behind the desk in Revenue apparently told her that some update to the system years ago, relabelled a load pf payments as simply DSP income or DSP pension income (so my friend says, I have no idea). So revenue do not know what the payment is or what it is for, and therefore leave it on the books.