disputing tax credit overpayments??

lolly1981

grrrr im so cross.
last year i started work i was a single parent so got money for childcare.
i was living in devon at the time and obviously my childcare provider was also in devon...i actually only worked a few weeks...went back onto income support and cancelled the working tax and claimed just child tax (cancelling the childcare money)....i then went on to move to norwich in norfolk...had baby and of feb this year decided to go back to work...ok so i started claiming working tax, this time i didnt need a childcare provider didnt need the payment for that as the babies dad looked after the children (we had seperated).
every time you call they ask you a security question usually your childs date of birth or the are you receiving childcare payments...as i said ex was looking afterkids so my answer was always no...then when the tax year ended i renewed my tax credits and in the may discovered they were paying me childcare...i ring them up and ask who for and why...they are like oh its for the nursery provider such and such in devon!!!!...i was like !!!!!!??? and they had apparently been paying for the childcare in devon from the previous years calim...what idiot cant work out theres 300 miles difference between the 2?

so now my questions...anyone ever disputed the overpayment...what was the outcome...how long and drawn out is it etc etc.

any advoice would be great!
thanks lauren

karenx

did you not realise your payments were very high??? And I assume you wouldn't of spent the extra so you have no problem in paying back the money you shouldn't of got?

lolly1981

i didnt realise they were high no...it was a new claim for working tax...i had no idea what i wouldve been entitled to...they told me what i was getting and maybe naively i thought that was right.
so assuming that i didnt spend the extra would be a wrong assumption as i thought i was entitled to it.
im sorry but that isnt a very helpful post...maybe i was in the wrong by accepting what they said i was entitled too...and it was only a few months after the claim went in that i realised they were paying me when they shouldnt have been...and on the occasions i called them and they asked the security question did i have a childcare provider....i said no (which was true) and they didnt question that they had something different on their system!!

loobyloo0302

But you get an award notice telling you what your getting an why your getting it.. Ie.. Whatever information you give to them, is repeated back to you via an award notice for you to check. So you therefore must have known that you were getting money that you shouldn't have been. And if you didn't check through your award notice, then I'm sorry but the only person at fault is yourself. Its not down to the inland revenue to work out what you should be receiving basewd on your current map location.

lolly1981

i called them and told them that i dont have the childcare!..on more than one occasion...i dont know about you but those award notices confuse the hell out of me....unfortunatly im not so clued up to things like that...it confuses me.
but i did call them and tell them.

Morgan_Ree

So even when you went back onto income support you didn't question why you were still recieving WTC? I'm sure it was a noticeable amount of money

I know how confusing these award notices can be but the first couple of pages are written in plain English.
Like you're single, working XXX hours per week, 1/2/3 child/ren qualifying for the childcare element, your annual income etc etc
You really can't miss it

This is your mistake.
Not understanding your award notice is not an excuse

KatieMc83_2

Have you kept your reward notices? Every time you record a change in circumstances they send you a new notice which details what money you're getting for what. It also includes a check list for you to check the details on your form so you don't miss anything out.

Did you call them at the time and tell them you weren't working anymore and that you were no longer paying childcare? If so then the fault is with them BUT it was YOUR responsibility to check your new award notice and make sure the details are right. That's why they send it along with the check list of what look at.

If you didn't call them at the time and have only told them now then i'm afraid that could be construed as fraud!!

Either way you have recieved money that isn't rightfully yours and i'm afraid you will have to pay it back, but you can ask them to take living costs into consideration and spread the cost. How much have they overpaid you?

lolly1981

i wasnt getting the working tax credit when i was on IS...there was a break between the may 08 and the feb 09 ...it was from feb 09 that they were paying the childcare element..im not very good at explaining myself sorr

KatieMc83_2

So...

You were on Income Support May 08 to Feb 09

Feb 09 you went back to work so called, made a new claim telling them your new working hours, salary etc but not mentioning any childcare costs

Now you find out that as well as the money you were entitled to they have also been paying you x amount for childcare costs that were detailed on your PREVIOUS claim and nothing to do with this recent update?

That right?

lolly1981

yeah thats right

alwaysonthego_2

Board Guide comment

Thread closed at the op's request, thanks.