This page was last updated on 29th October 2019.
1. Timescales
1.1 Any timescale regarding a Travelling Expenses claim is only an estimate and is not a contractual agreement. This includes any information we request from HMRC. Please note that this can vary due to the time of year and how busy HMRC are.
1.2 Any delays in the clients payment being released can be due to HMRC’s security checks. We are not responsible for any such delays, but we will endeavour to chase this up on the clients behalf throughout the process.
2. Fees & Payments
2.1 Reclaims UK work on a no refund no fee basis, therefore the client will only be charged on the amount refunded by HMRC.
2.2 Our standard fee is 25% + VAT. Under no circumstances do we offer reduced fees.
2.3 All payments will have our fees deducted before being released to the client. All payments will be sent out to the clients nominated bank account.
2.4 – For all clients, it is their responsibility to provide us with their correct bank details. We cannot be held liable for any incorrect banking information we are given, please ensure that these are correct before confirming them with us.
2.5 Any amount refunded by HMRC will be paid directly to Reclaims UK and then released to the client in the form of a bank transfer. Under no circumstances can this be paid to a nominee.
2.6 No payment will be released without confirmation of photographic ID for security purposes.
2.7 Any duplicate payment refunded by HMRC will be subject to our normal fees and, upon review, if found not to be a result of our work then the full amount will be refunded to the client (for example a Marriage Allowance payment made to our client account). From that point the duplicate payment will be the sole responsibility of the client.
2.8 We unfortunately cannot take on clients who receive rental income as part of our normal process. This is because any work done for such clients usually involves a much more comprehensive tax return that often results in a tax liability to the client rather than a tax refund. As the work we do is on a no win no fee basis we are unable to help with these returns as the work done would not produce a fee.
2.9 Any client receiving rental income however does have the option to pay a flat fee for their tax return to be completed. This is £200 + VAT per tax year and must be paid upfront before any work is completed.
2.10 Any client who is due all of their tax back from HMRC due to reasons not relating to our claim will be offered the chance to stop their claim and wait to receive the money from HMRC in due course. If however you wish to proceed with your claim in this instance we can continue to process the refund but we will have to charge our standard fee in this case.
2.11 We reserve the right to not take a claim forward for any clients with existing penalties owed to HMRC. In such circumstances it is extremely difficult for us to generate any repayment and so the only option is to pay us a flat fee of £200 + VAT per tax year for you and try and improve your position with HMRC by appealing any penalties on your account.
2.12 Please note there is a £20 admin fee to cover all same day bank transfers below £500, £30 admin fee to cover transfers up to £1000, £40 fee to cover transactions up to £2000 and finally a £50 fee to cover all transactions over this amount. This is to cover our costs to arrange for the transfer to be made into your account within 2 hours of us receiving the funds. We use a third party digital bank to process the funds safely and securely and we are charged for the use of this service. If you don’t want to pay this admin fee you can request to receive a cheque from us.
3. Post
3.1 All post including Authority forms and Paper copies of Tax Returns are sent to HMRC by first class post. We must allow 10 working days for them to receive mail from us and for it to be dealt with in line with their postal queues. We have no control over how quickly HMRC can deal with mail from us and we have no way of speeding this process up.
4. Correspondence with client
4.1 Upon signing the original forms the client agrees that all of the information given on the forms, during the initial phone call and for any future claims, is accurate and truthful to the best of their knowledge. Any changes not discussed in the original phone call must be given in writing.
4.2 If the information provided by the client proves to be incorrect or untruthful then Reclaims UK will not be liable for any payments owed to HMRC. In such circumstances our fees will still apply as the company will have acted in good faith to submit your claim on the basis that the information provided is accurate.
4.3 It is the responsibility of the client to inform Reclaims UK of all sources of income. This includes, for example, any rental income. Failure to do so may render the clients tax return incorrect. Reclaims UK will not be liable for any incorrect tax returns based on missing information from the client.
4.4 Under special circumstances we may discuss a clients case with a named individual they have nominated. The client must provide written consent to Reclaims UK to discuss their case with a nominee, this could be a parent or spouse. We reserve the right to deny any such request to do so.
4.5 Under no circumstances can we compare a clients case with another. This is in accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998.
4.6 Once the declaration(s) have been sent to the clients nominated email or postal address it is then the clients responsibility to ensure that it is signed by themselves only and that the signature matches that of the initial application form.
4.7 We will only contact the client regarding their claim via the postal address, phone number or email address they have nominated on the original forms. It is the responsibility of the client to inform us of any changes to their details at the earliest opportunity.
5. Terminating your claim
5.1 It is within the clients rights to terminate their claim at any point. This must be done in writing only. The termination will not be valid until we have received notification in writing.
5.2 We reserve the right to terminate the clients claim at any stage of the process based on any information we believe to be inconsistent.
5.3 Termination of your claim once any payment has been released to us will mean that we will amend the return previously submitted and pay the refund back to HMRC.
6. Aftercare
6.1 Our aftercare service is inclusive in our fees.
6.2 Following the completion of a claim, we will ask HMRC to remove any job expenses included in the clients tax code within two weeks.
6.3 Once we have requested that HMRC remove any job expenses from the clients tax code, the client should notify us of any job expenses that remain in their tax code. The client can notify us if they believe their tax code is incorrect and we can speak to HMRC regarding this.
6.4 The clients tax code is ultimately their own responsibility and whilst we will assist with this matter, we are not liable for any incorrect coding.
6.5 If we have not been able to contact the client before the deadline of an open tax return we reserve the right to close the claim down on their behalf to avoid penalties. This will be based on our inability to contact the client in order to determine whether the client meets the criteria for Self-Assessment.
6.6 We are more than happy to handle any correspondence that the client receives as a result of the claim they have completed with Reclaims UK. If the client wishes for us to deal with a letter from HMRC then they must send a readable copy to us via email and we will endeavour to do our best to respond within three working days.
7. Penalties
7.1 From the point that the tax year is open, HMRC give a deadline of three months to complete and file a return with the exception of the latest tax year.
7.2 Any penalties accrued due to the client not returning their signed declaration on time will be the responsibility of the client.
7.3 Any penalties existing on the clients account prior to starting a claim with Reclaims UK is the sole responsibility of the client.
7.4 We are happy to send off a penalty appeal letter to HMRC on the clients behalf, however there is no guarantee that HMRC will accept any appeal.
7.5 To avoid any penalties we will not un-log any nil returns previously submitted by HMRC, yourself or a previous company.
8. Referrals
8.1 A referral fee will only be paid if the name of the person referring is confirmed by the new client at the time of starting the claim process with Reclaims UK.
8.2 Reclaims UK pay out each referral fee(s) at the end of each calendar month. Referrals will only be paid out if the new clients claim is successful.
8.3 Any increased referral offers are for a limited time only and the expiry date will be clearly stated across all social media platforms.
8.4 Our standard fee for an eligible Travel Expenses claim is £50. However we reserve the right to reduce this to £25 for claims below HMRC’s £2,500 Self Assessment limit.
9. Data
9.1 For any information relating to the handling of our clients data can be found in our privacy policy: http://reclaimsuk.co.uk/privacy-policy/
9.2 The third-party software companies that will be used throughout the process of your claim will be DocuSign, Tax Filer, HMRC, Google and Microsoft.
9.3 Under no circumstances will we share our clients data.
9.4 We are registered under the UK’s Money Laundering Regulations (no. 12769812). This legislation requires us to check the clients identity and keep evidence that we have done so. We ask for photographic ID twice during the process and will keep a record by law.
10. Complaints Procedure
10.1 If any client wishes to make a complaint, they may write to the following address;
Reclaims House
5 Tapton Way
Wavertree Business Village
Liverpool
L13 1DA
We will endeavour to contact the client within 21 working days with a response.
