What Should You Do If Your Car Tax Reminder Has Not Arrived?

If you are wondering what you should do if your car tax reminder has not arrived, you will find the answer to this question in the following blog post. Additionally, you will also find detailed guidance on how to proceed in the absence of your car tax reminder, ways to contact the DVLA, whether or not you can request them to resend you a car tax reminder and if you can pay your car tax in time without a V11 reminder. 

What Should You Do If Your Car Tax Reminder Has Not Arrived?

If your car tax reminder or V11 notice has not arrived, you can take the following steps to find out the reason why you have not received it:

  • check/recheck your address
  • wait a few more days
  • contact the DVLA

Since car tax reminders are sent to the registered addresses of vehicle owners (that are mentioned in their vehicle logbooks), you should check (or re-check) that the postal address mentioned in your vehicle logbook is correct, complete and updated to make sure that your car tax reminder has not reached an incorrect address. 

If you’ve recently moved, it is highly likely that you may have forgotten to update your details with the DVLA due to which they may have sent your car tax notice or V11 reminder to your previous address held in their records.

If this is not the case, you may need to consider the time frame and wait a few more days (if your car tax is not due to run out during this time). V11 reminders are usually sent out 1 to 3 weeks before your tax is due. 

Therefore, waiting it out might help and your car tax reminder may arrive in the next few days. However, if you’ve waited for a substantial amount of time and you are concerned about missing out on your car tax payment, then you can take further action.

If you’ve tried either or both of these options or you think neither of them applies to you, you may need to contact the DVLA and ask them for the reason why your car tax reminder has not arrived. 

It is essential for vehicle owners to know that just because their car tax reminder has not arrived, it does not mean that they will not be held liable for not paying their car tax or Vehicle Excise Duty on time. In the absence of your V11 reminder, you will be expected to pay your car tax using information from other vehicle registration documents. 

If a vehicle owner misses their car tax payment due to not having a car tax reminder, this will not be an acceptable reason for the authorities and the owner will be liable not only for car tax payment but may also have to face a fine for late payment.

How Can You Contact DVLA To Check Why Your Car Tax Reminder Has Not Arrived?

There are many ways to contact DVLA if you want to ask them the reason why your car tax reminder has not arrived. Below is a list of ways to contact them:

  • call the DVLA Vehicle Enquiries at 0300 790 6802, from Monday to Friday, between 8 am and 7 pm or on Saturdays from 8 am to 2 pm
  • use the DVLA Webchat service to contact them online
  • use their email service by selecting your concern
  • sending them a letter at the following address:

Vehicle Customer Services

DVLA

Swansea

SA99 1AR

Can You Ask The DVLA To Send You Another Car Tax Reminder?

Yes, you can ask the DVLA to resend the car tax reminder or V11 notice to you if you’ve not received the first one that they sent. However, this may only be possible if you have no other source of information (such as a vehicle logbook or new keeper’s slip) that can be used to pay your Vehicle Excise Duty.

Many vehicle owners rely on the DVLA’s V11 reminder to pay their car tax, but there are other documents that can be used as well. Your V5C or vehicle logbook, and even your V62 or new keeper’s green slip, can be used to make car tax payments. 

If you’ve lost both your vehicle logbook and V11 reminder, you’ll need to apply for a new logbook. This can be done at your local post office that handles car tax, with a fee of £25.

Can You Pay Your Car Tax Without Your Car Tax Reminder?

Yes, you can pay your car tax without your V11 reminder notice. In this case, you can refer to either of the following documents:

  • V5C or vehicle logbook which has an 11-digit reference number
  • V5C/2 or New Keeper’s details slip which has a 12-digit reference number

Car tax payments can be made online, through your local post office or by calling the DVLA helpline in any of the following ways:

  • cash 
  • cheque 
  • debit or credit card 
  • Postal Order 
  • Direct Debit

However, if you don’t have either your V5C or V5C/2, you will have to download the V62 form from the UK Government’s website, fill it in and send it to the DVLA along with a cheque or postal order of £25. This is the fee for applying for a new vehicle logbook.

In this case, the V62 will serve as the alternate document for paying your car tax in the absence of a V11 reminder.

Conclusion:

The above discussion summarises the advice regarding car tax payments in the absence of a V11 reminder and helps to conclude that if you have not received your car tax reminder, you can contact the DVLA and request for it to be sent. However, if your concern is regarding the timely payment of your Vehicle Excise Duty, it can still be made without your V11 reminder notice; provided that you have the registration documents of your vehicle in hand.

References:

5 myth-busting facts about taxing your vehicle – Inside DVLA

Tax your vehicle with or without a reminder

Tax your vehicle without a vehicle tax reminder – GOV.UK

What is a V11 reminder? | Find your V11 reference number | Motorway