Tax Credits Advice Please Help!!

JOHNSTONE1

I had a single claim for tax credits and called up today to end it as my husband is moving back in with us. The lady on the phone said she would end my single award now and send out a new claim form so i can do a joint one....i dont want to do this as i'm sick of them messing up and am better off with them overpaying me and then asking or it all back, so i said i wont be claiming again and she said fine i will just get a letter confirming my payments will be stopped and my single claim has ended. She also said it would then be calculated if i had been over paid?! My question is how on earth could i have been over paid when ever bit of information they have on me is correct and i have now stopped my claim as he is moving back in, why would that generate an overpayment when they know everything. I cant see how it could happen could someone please explain as i can spent another year paying back tax credits, please help!! xx

KimYeovil

The payments you were receiving were based on extrapolating your current circumstances for the rest of tax year. As you are now likely to be better off these would be too high.

JOHNSTONE1

Thanks for your reply. I suppose i can kind of understand that, however if they have no information on my husbands earnings how would they know how much better off i am. As it goes i'm not really better off at all in fact i will be worse off. Also tax credits are based on last tax years earnings arent they? last year my husband only earnt about 11k so it shouldnt effect anything really?! I hate tax credits!!

Icequeen1

Your single claim will be ended, and you will have to complete your renewal forms for it next April. It will be only your income for the whole year that is used to finalise it, nothing to do with your husband.

IQ

JOHNSTONE1

Yes exactly which is why i am confused as to how they can overpay me if nobody else is invoved and all the information they have on me is correct.

Sorry if i'm being really stupid

Conor_3

They have to say the bit about overpayment in case there is. It doesn't mean there has been.

kei_2

Icequeen has it correct.

As long as the forecast for your earnings for the WHOLE current financial year (06/04/08 too 05/04/09) is correct for YOURSELF then it should not be a problem.

A overpayment that occurs all the time is when a person informs of a claim ending. For example let say claimant informs that they moved in with a partner on 20/10/08 the system may have already released a payment for the forthcoming week that arrives on say 25/10/08 by all accounts this is usually deemed a overpayment.

To be fair unless the policies have changed in the last few years, which they could have ofcourse, they are not obliged too discuss nominal (unconfirmed) overpayments so it could be something more sinister.

[Deleted User]

What EXACTLY did the adviser say to you regarding overpayment?

When you end a single claim because your partner is moving in the adviser must advise you of the following: You will no longer receive any further payments for your joint claim and if the change has caused an overpayment this must be paid back.

You may not have an overpayment, you should wait until your amended award comes through and make sure to complete your annual renewal when it comes through next year - even if you dont want to claim they still need to finalise your award for this tax year.

After this you can query if/why there is an overpayment.

JOHNSTONE1

Thanks everyone for your help. My next payment was due on the 4th of november which is why i called up today and ended it even though he's not moving back until the 31st of October i didnt want that payment to go through and be over paid. She got a bit arsey about ending it now aswell and said really i have to call up on the day but i insisted i would prefer she ended it and reluctently she agreed. She didnt say i had been overpaid she just said it wold be recalculated and i would be told if i had been. When i asked how that would be possible as they have all the information on me correct and up to date she said she couldnt possibly answer that question as it hadnt been recalculated yet. She said if and when i get an overpayment letter i could then call up and it would be explained.

JOHNSTONE1

What do you mean something more sinister?