Tax Credit overpayment

Pelly1

HI, We were getting child tax credits about 6 years ago.We moved to the Isle of Man.I told the tax office & assumed we would not continue getting them as tha IOM has its own government & tax office.However we continued to receive them.We received correspondence from them to our IOM address.I called again to double check & reiterate we were now in the IOM.No change.Then a year later we got a letter sayng we had been overpaid by approx £3500 because we were living in the IOM.I called to say I had told them this at the time,we had had correspondence on the island so they must have known we were there! I was even told in that call, that there was a note on the records to say I had called before to say this.They insisted we had to repay.I appealed.This was turned down & told they would take legal action to recover the overpayment.I wrote saying i would not ever pay this back as it was their mistake & they could do what they liked.I felt sure it would not stand up in court.We moved house back to the UK a couple of years later.We haven't heard anything more from them.
I think we would be eligible for tax credits but I have never applied again because I don't want them on our backs again chasing for that money.
I would like to apply for tax credits as I am sure we are missing out.Does anyone know what they will do if we apply? Will they chase that "overpayment" again? Can we arrange it that we don't receive anything til the previous amount is paid off?
Thanks for any help on this.

themonkeybutler

Sounds like you could successfully dispute this. Request a dispute for, and state the date you informed them you had moved, and then the date you re-iterated the fact. The fact you told them twice and it didnt stop means you met your responsibilities and they did not. Well, depending on the timescales involved anyway. Depending on the timescales, it could go the other way............

Pelly1

Thanks for that.What do you mean by timescale? Don't know how that could affect it either way?? Plus I don't have exact dates of when I told them, could only estimate it.

themonkeybutler

If you told them a) within 30 days of moving, and b) within 30 days of recieving your first payment when you were in IOM/receiving your first award notice in IOM, then youve met your resps. Outside of thirty days, and your chances of successfully appealing plummet.