I'm sure she'll find you again when the fines start to stack up from HMRC. Personally, if you've tried to contact her and had no joy I'd send a recorded delivery letter to her last known address and then just wait.
Kris
Their last known address was the pub. They lived above it. Any HMRC letters will either go there or come to me so they won't know about it.
I'm not interested in chasing her for money. I'm interested in her not getting into trouble with HMRC. She has enough on her plate with being ill.
-- Edited by Mad Liz on Tuesday 3rd of July 2012 10:58:33 AM
I wish you the very best of luck then, but you can only helps someone who wants your help. The fact that you seem to suggest she did a 'midnight flitting' would say to me that she doesn't want help.
I hope it didn't sound as if I don't go the extra mile for my clients, they all know I do. At the same time though, I'm clear about the boundaries of my role and have no desire to be a social worker. I do the very best for my clients, until the day they stop paying me.
Again, good luck with this one, maybe someone with a heart will be along soon
Kris
Edited because the phone rang and I pressed submit before it was all finished.
-- Edited by kjmcculloch83 on Tuesday 3rd of July 2012 11:21:24 AM
One of my clients is a publican. Life is not easy for publicans right now and this was exacerbated when she got breast cancer. She couldn't work and she couldn't afford to take on staff.
Between the jigs and the reels she has thrown in the towel and disappeared. I've been to the pub and it's under new management.
I'm not seriously out of pocket (£340 only) but I am concerned as the agent that I have ALL the paperwork for the business and for her personal tax returns. Assuming that she wants to finish things up legitimately, although she's not been in touch, she will either need me to do it (which is fine) or she'll need the paperwork.
This is the first client I've mislaid. What should I do? Should I inform anyone? HMRC?
I'm sure she'll find you again when the fines start to stack up from HMRC. Personally, if you've tried to contact her and had no joy I'd send a recorded delivery letter to her last known address and then just wait.
This may sound harsh, but I wasn't meaning that the letter would actually reach them, but it's an a*$e covering exercise.
We can't be private investigators too. The client knows what they are doing if they don't submit their tax return, they've not paid you so you owe them nothing.
Well sorry Kris, but that's not how I work. She was my first client, she's ill and she's got herself in a jam. I want to find out the best way to help her out of it, not to make it worse.
Has she got any family that you know of that you could contact to find out where she is? What about friends that went in the pub would they know where she is?
Its a difficult one as I understand you don't want to let her down, but there is probably not much else you can do?
There is a good chance the Revenue will lay off her, at least a little if you explain how ill she is, so definitely copy in all relevant HMRC departments.
If you can find out her GP they might pass on a letter.
I would contact HMRC as well as IAB (as a member) and ask for advice. I would keep records of all the telephone conversations and letters I send out for my records or third parties. Unfortunately is not much else you can do for her if she doesn't contact you soon.
