A BBC expert has warned that state pensioners are receiving letters from HMRC that they ‘mustn’t ignore’. Speaking on BBC Morning Live, Cost of Living specialist Colletta Smith stated that numerous letters are currently being dispatched by government departments – and people need to respond – with some requiring payment.

She highlighted three letters that should not be ignored – some of which directly affect state pensioners. Ms Smith explained: “The government are sending out letters at the moment, so something from the DWP and also HMRC you really shouldn’t ignore. So at this time of year, especially if you’ve completed a tax return at the end of January, this is the moment you might get a letter saying, actually you owe a bit more than you thought you did. So HMRC have put out that information there.”

Do NOT Ignore These HMRC LettersLetter IDMS99 – Amount overdueLetter IDMS99P – Simple assessmentLetter – Possible involvement in tax avoidance

Ms Smith continued: “There’s that number at the top is the first letter they’re saying don’t ignore because that’s effectively a payment that’s due, you still owe a little bit more money. That middle number there, that long number, is a letter what they call a simple assessment. That’s basically an extra tax bill. And more people are potentially going to be facing these who are pensioners because you may well fall into a tax bracket for the first time this year or next year because your income’s risen, but the tax brackets haven’t. So you might have to pay a bit more tax, you might end up with one of those bills that you haven’t done in previous years.

“And then that last letter there is about tax avoidance. So if anything arrives along those lines, it’s super important to open it and try and face reality and deal with it. Even just to be aware of what’s going on, even if you can’t afford to pay it, make sure you’re opening it and at least beginning the thought process.”

The Government has recently published on its website, via gov.uk, a comprehensive list of recent correspondence that HMRC has issued.

Ms Smith said: “So it’s quite a useful way of double checking if you’ve got something you can go on their website and see whether it links up with one of their regular letters that they are sending out at the moment.”

To visit the gov letters rundown click here. She also highlighted that ongoing Royal Mail delivery problems currently affecting the UK mean crucial correspondence may arrive significantly delayed.

She said: “We’ve been doing a big story.. about the ongoing problems at the Royal Mail at the moment. So a lot of letters either aren’t arriving or are arriving late. So the first thing to do if you’re getting, particularly, a wad of letters arrive through the door on one day is to check the date that that letter was sent.

“So it may already be out of date. You may have either missed the appointment, you may have already paid the bill, you may have already dealt with the situation because actually the letter was sent weeks ago and they’ve already sent you an email or a text message or something else to catch up with. So check the date that the letter was sent to see if it’s something you’ve already dealt with that you can ignore.”

HMRC letters sent out recently: