Warning over time limit on France / UK double taxation rebate claims

I recently read an article in The Connexion relating to double taxation and immediately applied for a tax rebate on my private pension.

Of course, there was paperwork to fill in and submit, including a document from the French tax authority confirming I had paid my taxes since my move to France in 2002.

After several weeks and tortuous calls to HMRC, I found out I was to be repaid from 2017 to the present date.

However, there was no mention of my application for the years 2011 to 2017.

I contacted my private pension company, which had no knowledge of these years.

I explained that in 2011 I was with a pension company that was taken over by my present company in 2017, and sent this claim by post to HMRC.

After another long wait, I finally received confirmation of the tax paid for the initial years of my pension.

Follow-up calls confirmed this latest claim was ‘in assessment’ and would take 30 days to resolve.

After chasing up my claim, I eventually received a letter last week telling me I was not eligible for the years 2011 to 2017 as a claim on double taxation rebate only goes back four years.

So I have lost out on £5,000 and ask why, in the years I have lived in France and received a lot of paperwork from HMRC, was there no mention, ever, of double taxation nor the rules applying to this subject?

Thank goodness for The Connexion’s article before it was too late.

I hope this letter will make some pensioners aware of the danger of losing out on a rebate on their private pensions.

Ian FERGUSON

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