PIP Mobility 50% discount on Road Tax- How do you claim after initial registration with DVLA?

Jamie_L

TL/DR at the bottom.

I was recently awarded PIP Mobility at the standard rate, when I was previously receiving DLA I was awarded mobility component but when I moved over to PIP originally it wasn't carried over, sorry I digress.

As the titles says really, I contacted the DVLA and using recorded delivery sent in all the required documents: V10 form, logbook, statement of entitlement and a postal order to cover the cost of the Road Tax. "Covid" was used as a reason that it might take a little longer than usual, which is fair enough, I understand they've had some terrible working conditions during the pandemic.

A few weeks later, my documents were returned along with the postal order (which I no longer have the receipt for) and a letter saying my request was being dealt with. A few more weeks later my refund arrives, £450 less than I was expecting. I'd been refunded for my current car which I'd purchased at the end of Sept 2020 and not for the car I had previous, my PIP entitlement is from 31st Dec 2019.

Another phone call later, I now had to send my statement of entitlement and a letter explaining the situation and giving my previous cars details, again "Because of Covid" it may take longer. I also explained about the postal order and was told it wasn't enough to cover the 6 months and if I got a second PO to make up the difference and sent them with a V10 form that would cover my Road Tax which expired on the 30th Sept.

I suspect this person might not of known what they were talking about, because my notification of Road Tax direct debit arrived as usual and was for the full amount not the reduced rate, so back on the phone. (I'll point out at this time I had 2 letters with the DVLA the first with my Statement of Entitlement sent to the refunds team and the second with £80+ postal order, both sent recorded) I wasn't expecting any news on the refund but wanted too know about the direct debit, I was told the computer was saying my car was taxed until March next year and to cancel the DD at my end just in case, I assumed this meant the PO had gone through and end of....

On Sept 28th a letter arrived from the DVLA containing the PO's and saying the computer says your car is taxed until March next year. So I'm back on the phone with rather less sympathy than previous, trying to find out if it's only showing as being taxed because there's a DD due and of course it is even though I've asked for it to be cancelled more than once. I'm also told that "If you want to pay by DD I have to pay the full amount and then claim it back the 50% reduction from them by sending in my Statement of Entitlement every time I make a payment and that usually it takes up to 8 week but Covid........or I could wait till I'm posted a renewal notice and send in the PO but because it's taking longer it will mean there might be a gap in my tax and because the system can take several days to update, meaning I could be tax-less for weeks if I pay this way". How can this be right?

Are my options really, claim my tax back every 6/12 months which takes over 8 weeks to process or risk being car-less for 2-3 weeks waiting for their system to update?

TL/DR

I'm been messed around by the DVLA and getting contradicting information every time I phone.

How do you go about getting your PIP Mobility Road tax discount after initially letting them know?

PS I am still waiting on the refund for my previous car, meaning including the postal order made out to DVLA and the current tax period reduction I'm owed over £620

poppy123456

When i first claimed PIP i was awarded standard mobility, this was in 2013 and i always sent my PIP entitlement award letter (dated within the past 12 months) and paid the 50% with a PO. Monthly DD's weren't possible at that time.

Yes, i know it's annoying and you would have thought they would have found a better way of doing the 50% discount by now.

I think the safest way for you would be to continue to pay the DD and then claim back the 50% because otherwise you may end up without road tax, which could be even worse if you were caught.

Jamie_L

poppy123456 said:

When i first claimed PIP i was awarded standard mobility, this was in 2013 and i always sent my PIP entitlement award letter (dated within the past 12 months) and paid the 50% with a PO. Monthly DD's weren't possible at that time.

Yes, i know it's annoying and you would have thought they would have found a better way of doing the 50% discount by now.

I think the safest way for you would be to continue to pay the DD and then claim back the 50% because otherwise you may end up without road tax, which could be even worse if you were caught.

Massive thanks poppy123456 for responding and giving such a informative answer. You're always able to offer the very best advice and I'm in awe of the time and energy you give to this community, it certainly wouldn't be the same without you. Sending huge positive karma your way.

And from yang to yin, the DVLA.... I'll have to accept that I need to deal with them, might start paying annually though and reduce the exposure. Needing a new letter each year from the DWP just adds a new layer of hassle on top and you say it's been like this for years, guessing it's unlikely to ever change.

No chance of me driving without tax, just not worth the risk. I could probably manage a couple off weeks without a car, If things were planned ahead a little but not much longer. I might have to at my next renewal as a one-off, since I still have the postal order, hopefully they'll have cleared some of the backlog by then and It won't take too long to process, fingers crossed.

Thanks again poppy123456, you really are the best

poppy123456

@Jamie_L thank you very much for those kind words!! ?

Jamie_L

poppy123456 said:

@Jamie_L thank you very much for those kind words!! ?

Your more than welcome 

Jamie_L

bekindalways said:

Hi, I too was on standard mobility and was receiving the 50% discount. The last year 2019 I sent it off as usual on the 1st December along with all my paperwork (insurance mot etc) by the 20th I'd heard nothing back. When I spoke to them they said they were only getting around to the 15th and that they couldn't see my application.  My bank had made the payment and their cheque had cleared on the 9th Tbh... the man was very curt and rude and despite having appts outside my area in the January, I had to get a friend to take me to them as they didn't fully process it on the system at the dvla till 18th January. He told me I would be driving without a VEL. 
They make it tremendously difficult having to send original paperwork in with a cheque or postal order. Its crazy in this day and age that they seem to treat disabled people remarkably different from others renewing their tax. Xxxx

It does seem a very overly complicated way of going about things (especially for a disabled person) and as you've experience there's little consistency between the customer service staff you speak to. It seems Covid must be their new ready made excuse, since you've have difficulties well before then. 

I'm not longing forward to contacting the DVLA again, but unless I receive some sort of communication from them by the end of the week I'm going to have to, it's now past the 8 weeks they say it should take and my letter was delivered on the 2nd of September. With the refund for my previous car pending, I need my DWP letter back, just so I send it back to them again to claim back my most recent payment at the beginning of October, it feels never ending.