I have sounded off more than once about bureaucracy but I have recently had a really helpful (and productive) telephone conversation with the man from HMRC.
I had sent 2 different tax codes and while I understand that I underpaid tax in the year after I retired, I was puzzled by the sentence "If you earn less than £30,000 please let us know"
When I had picked myself up off the floor and stopped laughing, I rang them up and found that they thought I was still employed by my former school because I am on the payroll for a little casual invigilating I have done, NOT at my previous salary. As I shall be 65 within the next tax year, I will get the Age Related Allowance, but as I am more likely to earn about £200 form my invigilating rather than £40K apparently my Age Related Allowance is affected, and to cut a long story short, my tax allowance has changed quite dramatically. He explained that while it would have come right at the end of that tax year and I would have got a rebate, this way I will pay less tax on my pension and on any casual work I do. Result! What is more, he explained it clearly, patiently and IT WORKED IN MY FAVOUR !!