HMRC has explained when to contact them if you have a question about a charge which can be worth thousands of pounds. A taxpayer contacted the authority as they had received a letter saying they needed to pay the High Income Child Benefit Charge.
The charge applies if you have claimed the DWP benefit and if your income is above certain thresholds. For the current tax year, you start to pay the charge once either you or your partner’s individual income moves above £60,000 a year.
For every £200 you earn above the threshold, you have to pay back 1 per cent of your Child Benefit claim, meaning you have to pay the whole lot back once you earn £80,000 or more. Child Benefit is currently worth £26.05 a week for your eldest or only child, and £17.25 a week for each other child you have.
This means if you had two children and you had to pay back the full amount, you would need to pay back just over £2,250 a year. You can pay back the amount through PAYE with a change to your tax code or through self assessment, depending on your situation.
The person who contacted HMRC said they had tried to pay the charge through PAYE but there was an “error” with this. In response, the tax department encouraged them to call the helpline about the issue.
But the customer said they had tried this route but had been on the phone for “almost an hour without success”. HMRC then set out some specific timeframes for when to call.
The group said: “Sorry you’ve not spoken to an adviser yet. Our phone lines open at 8am until 6pm Monday to Friday, and are usually less busy between 8am and 9am.”
You can call HMRC on 0300 200 3300, if you have questions about income tax or PAYE. The department can also provide guidance over the phone about tax overpayments or underpayments.