What reasons can an accountant hold on to your tax rebate that has been sent to him?

my accountant seems to be holding on to my tax rebate for no reason, he has had it now for 6 weeks and keeps telling me he is waiting for this and that off me, ive sent him everything he needs.

I told him to settle the invoice out of the rebate as the bill is just a fraction of what is owed to me, so where is there problem with that

He can only do this if you have agreed to it in advance and has an unpaid bill owed to him.
You can complain to his professional body [if he is qualified]
When this is sorted get yourself a new accountant, but bear in mind that there are no good cheap accountants. The good ones aren't cheap & the cheap ones aren't good.

Sound a bit bent to me

have you paid the bill lately?
Other than that, there should be no reason.

Probably run up huge gambling debts and been dippng into the client account. They all do it (well, maybe not all...;D)

I dont think he has any reason,so keep on at him.A lot of accountants are bent so dont be surprised if he has spent it.Good luck.

Either you haven't paid his bill, or he's dodgy

From what I've heard It's by no means unusual for this to happen-so don't panic.What many accountants will do is offset the repayment from the revenue against the fee you will owe them for their services and either pass the balance of the repayment to you(if there is one)or send you a bill for the balance if need be.
It sounds like he wants everything from you for the tax year in question so that he can work out his bill and settle the refund/bill situation.

Some accountants persuade clients to sign over rebates rather than have them mandated direct to the client's bank account.
The simple answer is don't sign it.
It's bad enough waiting five months for HMRC to make the repayment without waiting for the accountant as well.
THERE ARE NO LEGITIMATE REASONS WHY HE SHOULD DELAY SENDING IT TO YOU.

He has no right to hold your rebate.If the inland revenue have paid it out, they must have all the information they needed.
If you contact the tax office,they can give you all the details of the rebate and advise you on how to get it from him.

Your accountant should have paid you the tax rebate (less his fee) as soon as he received your refund from the Inland Revenue.
Are you sure he has received the refund yet?
Maybe he has sent in your tax return.............but that doesn't mean the tax refund has been issued.
If it has been received.............go ask him for what is owed to you..........and if you don't get a cheque from him there and then.........tell him you are going straight to your solicitor.......and that you are going to complain to his professional body.
You should then walk away with a cheque in your pocket.

PS....Get yourself another accountant

No, Chatbat, the Revenue can't advise how to get it. It is now a civil matter, and may have to go to court.
Revenue staff don't like these cases where accountants demand their client's refund, but if the relevant section of your Tax Return is completed, and you sign it, the Revenue have no choice but to make repayment to accountant. By doing this, accountant ensures his fees are paid, but as you have found out, there is no means of ensuring you get your share.
I would contact the Revenue to check refund has, in fact, been made, and get payable order number if applicable. (It is possible repayment has been withheld for some reason). Local Revenue can then check with Head Office to see if payable order has been cashed/paid in, date and bank. Probably take 2/3 weeks. There are also checks that can be made if refund was made electronically. You can also find out the date of refund.
Once you have that information, you may have to see a solicitor if accountant is still holding on to your money. It may be that he has cashflow problems.
If you find he has the refund, suggest you change your accountant. Most accountants are scrupulous at dealing with client's money, and you may have to report yours to his professional body.

has the cheque been made out to you?

If so then ring the rev and get them to cancel the cheque and re-sent out to you.

If it has been made out to him, why , did you give the rev written authority to pay it out to him. If not then something dodgy is going on, the money should be paid out to you. If this is the case contact the revenue as it could be fraud.