Bonus advice, quite worried

vermicious-knid

Hi everyone, I know I have been a bit silly so would appreciate some advice please?

In Junes wages, I got a bonus of £170. I was bankrupt 3/4 months ago. My dilemma is that this money came just at the time when I needed it to go visit my mum who is ill, she has been in and out of hospital over the past year and I haven't seen her for over six months since she lives far away. So i used the money for travel and for food expenses when I was visiting.

I didn't tell my OR that I got the bonus and am now scared to tell them. Will they find out? what will happen?

Please can someone give me some advice? am very upset and worried now.

skylight

Tell them. And explain.

I too would have been so fraught with worry over my Mum, that it completely slipped my mind. I would have just seen the money as a godsend right when I needed it and totally forgot about telling the OR all about it.

Email them so you do not have to speak to them. Apologise profusely but you have only just remembered whilst you were looking through your BR papers and spotted the bit about telling them everything.


At the end of the day, the money is gone so whats the worst they can do to you?? Well, the worst is that they want all the money and insist that you pay it. You will argue back at first then if they still insist you will offer to repay at £20 a month as they have your SOA and know that you cannot afford it.

dalip

Agree with sky. Most OR's are human and do realise that these things happen.Dx

vermicious-knid

Thanks for your reply, I feel so stupid but I just had to go because she is so ill and I haven't gone the last two times she was in hospital and felt awful.

I will send them an email telling them the reasons, hopefully they will be in a forgiving mood.

Will they demand bank statements or wage slips to prove what I have stated? It's on there that it was petrol and food but I wondered if they will want to see any proof too?

Merry_Gentry

They probably won't ask for proof but keep the statements just in case.

movingforward2010

im not saying dont tell them, but its a one off £170 pymt how they going to know

Merry_Gentry

wxmlad wrote: »

im not saying dont tell them, but its a one off £170 pymt how they going to know

Because they are in communications with HMRC and know how much tax you would be paying.

And because you signed a piece of paper saying you would inform the OR within 21 days of any change in your financial circumstances and can get into trouble if you don't comply.

vermicious-knid

wxmlad wrote: »

im not saying dont tell them, but its a one off £170 pymt how they going to know

Merry_Gentry wrote: »

Because they are in communications with HMRC and know how much tax you would be paying.

And because you signed a piece of paper saying you would inform the OR within 21 days of any change in your financial circumstances and can get into trouble if you don't comply.

Hi thanks to you both.

Merry - I know you have to inform regarding change of income but when you say that they are in touch with HMRC regarding tax - do they still check what tax you are paying if you went bankrupt before the end of the tax year??

I went bankrupt before end of march and I thought that they didn't check your tax after the end of the tax year or am I wrong?

I am just curious, I am still going to email them tomorrow.

Thanks.

Merry_Gentry

If you're not on a nil tax code, they will know how much tax you are expected to pay that year. But if you went bankrupt in March, and they didn't impose a nil tax code then there's probably no reason for them to check.

Cash_Waster

Merry_Gentry wrote: »

can get into trouble if you don't comply.

And what can they do to you? Nothing. They could not even be bothered to type up the paperwork for a BRU for the sake of £170. They will never even know or care.

One thing i have realised through this whole process is honesty does not always pay! Look at the benefits system? people get allsorts. My OH was made redundant that forced our hand into BR to lose everything, and she gets sack all help and benefits because its not disabilily this or "pay related job seekers that" whatever its called. The system stinks. I get really angry with it all. I work my butt of to look after my family, and there is people doing the system left right and centre. It has took me 2 months to work out I'm entitled to something called "child tax credit" I dont understand this system so probably dont get what we are entitled for.

A prime example is the women early on a board in here with here SOA up £1500 a month for her and her daughter. £1000+ benifits and the rest wages, thats £18000 a year, I know plenty of graduates who cant earn that sort of cash.

Sorry rant over, having a bad money day as im skint and worrying about my ipa reduction due to having a baby

Merry_Gentry

Cashwaster, you may find https://www.entitledto.com a help to getting all of the benefits you are entitled to.