Using a CTD takes 10+ days?!?

[Ark]

I can't believe I've probably missed the date to pay my APNs because I thought it would be a quick and easy job to allocate a CTD to them. I called the number on the Corrective Action form and was told that the CTD office take 10 days to move the money from CTD to APN. On top of which I have to send the physical certificate rather than a scan/fax or even just a CTD reference number by email. So that will add further delay.

I tried to find an address for the CTD team so I might deliver the CTD and my letter, saving a day in the post, but the address is a virtual one.

Infuriatingly I can't even speak to anyone at the CTD office as you have to leave a voice message and wait for them to call back - when will that happen?

If they don't call back tomorrow and offer some kind of solution the only thing I can think of is to call the number on the Corrective Action form again, plead hardship and ask for a few more days to get the CTD moved over. I can't afford another 5% or whatever will be the penalty.

Any thoughts gratefully received.

[Ark]

Bloody annoying and disheartening. The penalty is automatic and I will have to appeal to someone's better nature (my caseworker?) to see if it can be waived. The only grounds I can think of are that the long time it takes to allocate a CTD to APNs is not published (at least I think not) and therefore I didn't in practice have 30 days to pay.

A kind lady at the CTD office called back early today and gave me the postal address to save some of the delay of writing to their virtual address. A small mercy.