Trying to get a passport - a rant!

[Neveradullday!]

What about applying for a voter authority certificate, would that help? You need to be on electoral roll and have national insurance number?
Your original post was about Santander. Maybe contact them and see if you can do ID any other way?
Best wishes and remember the rule, 10 minutes of admin, then have a cup of tea.

They ask for photo ID so the voter certificate wouldn't do @Arthurgeorge
Transferring money through a 'chaps' payment has to be done either in branch (with one ID for name, the other address) or over the phone (I'm with telephone banking) so fingers crossed they'll accept. In branch is a long shot anyway as I have to take my mum everywhere.

It's just that a passport makes things so much easier. Good tip about the cup of tea! Thanks. 🙂

 

[nitram]

when the probate comes through from my Dad's will, it will be over the £86K? that each bank will cover you for,

FSCS protects temporary high balances in your bank account, building society account or credit union account of up to £1 million for six months.

https://www.fscs.org.uk/making-a-claim/claims-process/temporary-high-balances/ .

 

[Neveradullday!]

FSCS protects temporary high balances in your bank account, building society account or credit union account of up to £1 million for six months.

https://www.fscs.org.uk/making-a-claim/claims-process/temporary-high-balances/ .

Thanks @nitram - good news! Probate will be a few more weeks too.
I've got about 6 weeks to save my £88.

 

[nitram]

I'll have to do this by 3 'Chaps' payments

Chaps will cost, my bank charges £25 a transfer with no daily limit.

Faster Payments is free, my bank's daily limit is £k25 on line, £k250 in branch.

You can send payments in tranches.

If a solicitor is dealing with probate they can deposit the cash in various accounts according to the will.

 

[Neveradullday!]

Chaps will cost, my bank charges £25 a transfer with no daily limit.

Faster Payments is free, my bank's daily limit is £k25 on line, £k250 in branch.

You can send payments in tranches.

If a solicitor is dealing with probate they can deposit the cash in various accounts according to the will.

According to the will my uncle and I get 50% each. In my late aunt's will (d2019) her half of the house would go to her 3 grandchildren (after my dad died). The complication is - when she made her will she was told to sever the joint tenancy (so they would be tenants in common), this severance was never signed. So as it stands the grandchildren wouldn't get anything.

My dad was her executor, I've been told by a solicitor that he should have severed the joint tenancy (I think he had 2 years after her death). So as it stands my uncle and I get 50% each of the whole house. We could ask the solicitor to do a Deed of Variation so the solicitor would pay the grandchildren. My uncle isn't keen, and I've had to become executor in reserve (?) as the solicitor is 50 miles away and I would have had to show them my (you guessed it) passport as ID.

So what we've decided to do is take all the money, then distribute the grandchildren's share to them ourselves.
If we didn't give them their share this solicitor on an online legal forum has told me they would have a very good case to sue us. Not that we'd want to keep it anyway. Simple!

Faster Payments is another way although I'd prefer to do it with 3 big payments rather than more numerous FPs. I may ask them about this though.

 

[nitram]

So what we've decided to do is take all the money, then distribute the grandchildren's share to them ourselves.

As potentially exempt transfers.

 

[Neveradullday!]

As potentially exempt transfers.

Would they automatically be potentially exempt transfers?
As in it would be their responsibility to pay tax if one or both of us died within 7 years?

 

[nitram]

Would they automatically be potentially exempt transfers?

Yes, it's your money you are gifting.

As in it would be their responsibility to pay tax if one or both of us died within 7 years?

Yes if due, depends on size of deceased's estate.

 

[jugglingmum]

IHT is not my strength so i think this is correct.

If you and uncle pay out it would be a PET from each of your assets depending on how it's paid out.

If you died within 7 years it would eat into your iht exempt sum, if you are likely to exceed this, tax burden will fall on your own beneficiaries.

If you aren't likely to pay iht then it doesn't matter.

If you do a deed of variation then the tax burden falls on your dad's estate, which will be the same if it all goes to you and your uncle or if it goes direct to grandchildren and you and uncle (if dad is paying iht)

So the main benefit of deed of variation is to reduce iht.

Of course all based on current iht rules.

Have a read on hmrc iht section

 

[Neveradullday!]

IHT is not my strength so i think this is correct.

If you and uncle pay out it would be a PET from each of your assets depending on how it's paid out.

If you died within 7 years it would eat into your iht exempt sum, if you are likely to exceed this, tax burden will fall on your own beneficiaries.

If you aren't likely to pay iht then it doesn't matter.

If you do a deed of variation then the tax burden falls on your dad's estate, which will be the same if it all goes to you and your uncle or if it goes direct to grandchildren and you and uncle (if dad is paying iht)

So the main benefit of deed of variation is to reduce iht.

Of course all based on current iht rules.

Have a read on hmrc iht section

Yes, if there was a Deed of Variation only half of the value of the house would count towards IHT. As there will not be a Deed of Variation I calculated the IHT at a few thousand extra.
All the IHT has been paid now so it doesn't matter.
There's more to the estate than that house, luckily there was enough in my dad's bank and NSand I to pay it.
I did ask on the legal forum if it would be a good idea to not give the grandchildren quite as much as we've had to pay extra IHT, but the answer was no.

 

[Neveradullday!]

Good news! I was looking at the list this morning - one of the professions was director of a VAT registered company. A shop owner would surely fit the bill?
I thought of Jeff who owns the sandwich shop at the end of the road - we've known him years.

So on our walk home we passed his shop - he was locking up (half day Saturday). I asked him - no problem. He had to do it at home because he obviously didn't have his passport number. Passport Office has texted me saying they've received his confirmation, so it's just a waiting game now.
If it's acceptable I still may have to have an interview, but as far as I can gather those can still be done on zoom or whatever it is.
Fingers crossed 🤞

 

[jugglingmum]

Hopefully that'll work

 

[Melles Belles]

That’s good news @Neveradullday!

 

[sdmhred]

Good for Jeff 😀😀🥪🥪

 

[nitram]

Who must attend a passport interview

Page 8

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/66420e994f29e1d07fadc60e/Interviews+-+overview+of+the+interview+process+_v17.0+for+GOV.UK+publication_.pdf

 

[Neveradullday!]

Who must attend a passport interview

Page 8

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/66420e994f29e1d07fadc60e/Interviews+-+overview+of+the+interview+process+_v17.0+for+GOV.UK+publication_.pdf

It says on gov.uk that video interviews are taking place online - brought in because of covid I imagine.
Edit - I've just read that, it says video interviews are for people overseas or in a remote part of the UK, and they also need to show photo ID - I've not got photo ID (the whole point of getting a passport).
If I have to attend in person........ I can't take my mum with me. I may have to get in touch with my MP........
ARRRRRGH!

 

[Dave63]

What a fiasco @Neveradullday!

Maybe I'm being naive but you would have thought the government have enough evidence of our identity already. Birth certificates, HMRC records, council tax records, employment records etc.

I understand there has to be a process to ensure there's no criminality but to rely on an email address from Jeff The Sandwich Guy rather than their official records seems bonkers, or am I missing something.

If there's an 'any other comments' section on the form explain that it's hindering your international art thief enterprise and if they don't get a move on then you'll sneak in in the dead of night and nick all the cartoons off their walls

 

[nitram]

Jeff is confirming an image of the person identified by 'Birth certificates, HMRC records, council tax records, employment records etc.' using his own passport number, which identifies him, as authority.

 

[Dave63]

Jeff is confirming an image of the person identified by 'Birth certificates, HMRC records, council tax records, employment records etc.' using his own passport number, which identifies him, as authority.

Jeff is missing a trick. He should be offering a passport validation service as well as baguettes, buns and sandwiches

I know... I'm being flippant. But the process seems to be very Heath Robinson.

 

[Neveradullday!]

I'm thinking positive guys.
They'll accept Jeff's authority, then decide, as there are too many applicants to interview at the moment, to print the passport.
Yes....... it's all gonna be alright. 😏