Forms, letters and deadlines in the UK

The government's official site is gov.uk, and you do not pay unofficial fees on imitation sites.

• Many services require a GOV.UK One Login, a single unified account with your email, phone number and proof of identity, or a Government Gateway for HMRC and tax accounts.
• Create an account and save the login details securely (use a password manager and two-factor authentication).
• Services such as eVisa, HMRC, the NHS App and Universal Credit each have an account.
• Search for the service by a simple phrase on GOV.UK since most pages are written in clear language.
• Real government services do not usually end in .co.uk but in .gov.uk, and beware of sites claiming to offer services and charging extra fees (such as sites renewing licences and passports).
• And for people unable to use the internet there are phone services and help in libraries.

Open every official letter and do not ignore it, read it at once and record its arrival date and the reply deadline.

• Sort documents in a folder: ID and visa, housing, work and taxes, health, banks and school.
• Keep important letters for years (taxes at least six years).
• Take photos and upload them in a secure cloud store.
• State the reference number and letter date in every reply.
• If you do not understand a letter ask a friend fluent in English, Citizens Advice or a council library for help.
• And if an expected letter does not arrive call the body.
• And inform bodies of your change of address so your letters are not lost.
• And know the difference between guidance and warning letters: a reminder, a final notice and a court summons require immediate action.

Each service has a deadline that must be met: 31 January for self assessment, a 30-day period to answer UKVI's request for information, 28 days for some appeals, a month to request mandatory reconsideration in DWP benefits, and three months less a day for employment cases.

• Meeting the deadline matters more than perfection, so send what you have then complete.
• And delay may produce penalties: a late tax penalty, council tax late fees, a parking fine, and a transport Penalty Fare.
• Each penalty has a period to pay at a reduced rate (often 14 days) or to appeal.
• Do not pay at once if you think it is wrong, but appeal first with evidence.
• And note the deadlines in your phone calendar with alerts a week before.

Every government body has a published complaints procedure, so begin with it by writing concisely with facts, dates and what you request.

• Then if unresolved to the competent ombudsman free of charge: the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman for government and health services, the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman for councils, the Financial Ombudsman Service for banks and insurance, and the Housing Ombudsman for social housing.
• And for official decisions (benefits, immigration, taxes and fines) there are appeal procedures: before the First-tier Tribunal or Immigration Tribunal or Parking Adjudicators.
• Write politely and accurately, state the law if you know it, attach the evidence, and keep a copy.
• For help use Citizens Advice or a law centre or a registered lawyer, and legal aid may apply for some cases.

The most important source of free help is Citizens Advice in every city (0800 144 8848 for England), which offers free confidential advice on debt, housing, benefits, work, immigration and consumer issues, and helps you fill in forms and write letters.

• And there are law centres and organisations such as Shelter, the Refugee Council, Age UK and Mind, council libraries, and local migrant services.
• As for your data it is protected by the UK GDPR: you have the right to know what bodies keep (Subject Access Request) and to correct it. Do not send copies of your passport and NI number by insecure email, and beware of fraudsters pretending to be from the government, and do not pay fees on imitation sites.
• And report fraud to Action Fraud (0300 123 2040).
• And remember that you are not alone.

What is the official government site?