Please help

[hudson]

It would help if you could get all your paperwork, correspondence with the umbrella in order and find out what you actually signed up to.

[scaredtodeath]

Thank you Peasant and Fred Bloggs.

I will do that.

[Fred Bloggs]

Yes, just a few months. I cannot tell you a) how glad I am that HMRC contacted me, b) that I changed it. They were so persuasive that everything was fine. I was pretty close to believing them and that makes me feel so stupid.

it looks that way, yes.

OK. Then HMRC aren't the only issue you have. In your shoes I'd continue to sort out the tax you owe and settle that. But even though you didn't realise it at the time, it's likely that you have loans outstanding that could be called in. I echo the other comments about talking to a reputable adviser about what to do regarding the loans. WTT might be a good place to start. Other advisers are available but not all of them are what I would describe as reputable. Hope that helps a bit.

[peasant2023]

- I’ve not been contacted yet; can anyone advise me what to do?
- I’d like to be best prepared for that situation. Who should I speak to?
- The issues on this board around recalls seem to be pretty isolated to Fecilitas. How likely is it these’ll get recalled? Do some just get forgotten about?
- Should I close my email so at least they can’t contact me there & have to write?

Any help would be hugely welcome as I’m in a pretty bad state!

First, you're not alone - there are 60,000 open enquiries.

Second, contact WTTGroup for a consultation.

Third, I would try to stop reading about this until you've had professional guidance.

[scaredtodeath]

Yes, just a few months. I cannot tell you a) how glad I am that HMRC contacted me, b) that I changed it. They were so persuasive that everything was fine. I was pretty close to believing them and that makes me feel so stupid.

it looks that way, yes.

[Fred Bloggs]

Thanks Cojak, much appreciated.

Good advice from cojak. The good news is that you only have a couple of months where you weren't on normal PAYE? And that you're on the right track to sort it out before it gets completely out of hand.

The "commission payments" are these a loan?

[scaredtodeath]

Thanks Cojak, much appreciated.

[cojak]

Welcome to CUK.

As I say to all newcomers on this forum - take a breath, go away and make a cup of tea, and wait for the regulars here who will come with support and advice for your situation.

Don’t do any rash or impulsive that you may regret later.

[scaredtodeath]

So, I’ve been a permie all my life until last year when I was made redundant. I found a contract and signed up for what I now know to be a dodgy umbrella company. No excuses, but I was recommended them by my otherwise excellent agency and honestly didn’t have a clue anything other than legit firms existed. I feel so stupid now.

A short while (~12 weeks) after joining I got a HMRC warning letter telling me I was possibly involved in tax avoidance. This led me to properly inspect my payslips when I found (2 payments, the stuff I’ve seen on here and now know to be the huge warning signs) and immediately contacted my umbrella. They reassured me everything was legit and that I could declare my commission on my SA to ensure HMRC were fully aware, but I challenged and asked to be paid by PAYE, which I thought I was from the outset. From that point all payments were made by PAYE, so “fortunately” I’m good on those, but I’d received “dodgy” payments over 2 tax years.

I declared my “commission” to HMRC on my SA in Jan and paid what was owed. I was planning to do the same for this year, then thought I’d be up to date.

For completely unrelated reasons I left that umbrella company in March this year, have my P45 with a lot of tax paid, etc.

Over the weekend I got another HMRC warning letter - same one as last year, not requesting anything specific about my tax affairs or return, just warning me my Umbrella might be dodgy. It led me to google them again, which then to this site. I’ve not slept for the last two nights just reading these boards and slowly realising what a complete fool I’ve been.

I’m going to deal with HMRC, contact the number on the letter and speak to them about how I make sure I’m straight. In reality, I likely don’t owe anything or a pretty small amount all things considered. And have some time to save before 22/23 is due. But in all honesty I’m now scared to death that I’m going to get demands for repayment of the loans, so despite reading these boards pretty solidly for days, I have some questions I’m hoping you can help me with:

- I’ve not been contacted yet; can anyone advise me what to do?
- I’d like to be best prepared for that situation. Who should I speak to?
- The issues on this board around recalls seem to be pretty isolated to Fecilitas. How likely is it these’ll get recalled? Do some just get forgotten about?
- Should I close my email so at least they can’t contact me there & have to write?

Any help would be hugely welcome as I’m in a pretty bad state!