At my wits end with benefits

tortmad

I posted a few weeks ago regarding tax credits. I received a letter telling me that I hadn't claimed child benefit for my son and to phone them. When I phoned they said that I should have been claiming child benefit but that I was not entitled to the tax credits that I have been receiving for the past 5 months.

I thought that was the end of that until I received a letter today from dwp about the caters allowance I receive for my dad. They are saying that I shouldn't have been getting it because I started work in November 2008.

Early in 2008 I had to give up work to take care of my disabled dad who lives with me. After a while we got a routine going and decided to go back to work and got a part time job which started in november 2008. When I went to job centre plus they said you can still get carers allowance if you dont earn much and they would notify everyone and I would hear from them if there were changes. So I left quite happy and in turn heard from tax credits and had to re-claim which I did.

This is the first contact I have had from dwp about carers allowance and if I have been getting that money and I am not entitled to it then that means I owe them about 6,000!! My take home pay is 700 a month and I am a single parent. I just assumed that I was still entitled to the money as I take care of my disabled dad.

I haven't phoned them yet as I am petrified. Will I be sent to jail for this? I am so scared I feel physically sick. This is the first time I have had any benefits my whole life (I am 42) and it will be the last. I will never claim for anything again.

Please can someone tell me what will happen to me.

nashly

Did you happen too get a letter from jobcentre plus saying you could carry on getting carer's allowance or was it just a verbal comment ?

viktory

So to clarify, you have been receiving tax credits and carers allowance you are not entitled to? First thing you need to do is contact the DWP and find exactly how much you have been overpaid. It is highly unlikely you will go to prison but that does depend on how much money and over what period. How many forms have you dated and signed when making a claim and were you honest when completing the forms? As nashly has asked, have you anything in writing from the Job Centre re the carers allowance? More questions than answers at the moment.

karenx

Yes you can still claim CA if you earned under £100 a week. On an income of £700 a month that is certainly more than £100 a week therefore the whole time you were working AND claiming CA you will have to pay back the whole of the CA

No you wont go to jail for this, all you need to do is call them and be honest and say you didnt know and didnt hear back. Then arrange to pay back all you wernt entitled too

tortmad

When I went to job centre plus to sign off to go back to work I said what else do I have to do and the lady there said nothing I will notify people and they will be in touch with you if there are changes.

This was in november 2008. I received working and child tax credits from then until august 2009 when my son left school. he started college and I phoned them and they said that was fine, he then left college and enrolled on a modern apprentice scheme for about a year. I phoned them then as well and they said that was fine. Then he enrolled in college again in July 2010 and it only lasted a few weeks and I shouldn't have been receiving tax credits from July 2010 to now. I only realized this when I got a letter from them telling me I should have been getting child benefit from august 2009 which I wasn't receiving.

I have been receiving carers allowance every week since November 2008. I assumed that I hadn't heard from them and as I only worked part time so that I could take care of my dad as well then I was entitled to the carers allowance. If I wasn't entitled to it then that means they have paid me over 6000 and I feel physically sick and can't stop shaking.

I have never claimed any benefits before and I really regret doing it now. It was the biggest mistake I have every made in my life. I thought these people were all linked and that this would not happen. Maybe I was naive by not looking into it more but I assumed they knew what they were doing.

tortmad

Forgot to add that I don't think I have completed any forms since going back to work. I don't get housing benefit but we get a small council tax rebate due to my dads age of 82 but I have never filled in a form for that they always send a letter asking for my dads income details and my payslips. I know that if I did have a form to fill in and sign and it mentioned carers allowance I would not have lied as I have not been trying to deceive anyone and I thought I was entitled to it. If I'm guilty of anything it's being b!!!!!y stupid by not checking myself. I think I will phone the council and tell them to cancel the council tax rebate as I think after this I don't want any benefits of any kind.

I just feel so sick - I have always worked and when I had to stop work for my dad I never lied about a thing. I just wish I hadn't trusted job centre plus to notify people, I wish i had done it myself .

sunnyone

tortmad wrote: »

Forgot to add that I don't think I have completed any forms since going back to work. I don't get housing benefit but we get a small council tax rebate due to my dads age of 82 but I have never filled in a form for that they always send a letter asking for my dads income details and my payslips. I know that if I did have a form to fill in and sign and it mentioned carers allowance I would not have lied as I have not been trying to deceive anyone and I thought I was entitled to it. If I'm guilty of anything it's being b!!!!!y stupid by not checking myself. I think I will phone the council and tell them to cancel the council tax rebate as I think after this I don't want any benefits of any kind.

I just feel so sick - I have always worked and when I had to stop work for my dad I never lied about a thing. I just wish I hadn't trusted job centre plus to notify people, I wish i had done it myself .

you dont get a "council tax rebate due to your dads age" there is no such thing avaialble and to be blunt the rest of your posts makes as much sense as this supposed rebate.

DX2

tortmad you will make yourself sick, please calm down and take on step at a time.

Firstly carer's allowance: if you believe you have been given incorrect advice from the DWP you have the right to appeal this overpayment, I suggest you contact the CAB and get help with this ASAP. You need a GL24 form to dispute the overpayment.
http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/gl24dwp.pdf

You won't go to Jail please don't panic!

Regarding tax credits you need to contact them and arrange how to pay the overpayment.

tortmad

I said we do get a council tax rebate - I'm sorry my posts don't make sense

I've just realized you are saying "you don't get council tax rebate on grounds of age".

I always thought that was why we got the council tax rebate - obviously we get it on financial grounds then - something else I didn't know.

baza52

just check your CT award and make sure it because of income or lack of it.
It might be dad is claiming the single person discount, if so he will have to repay that too.

tortmad

They usually send him a letter and ask for his income and my pay slips which I send them. My dad isn't able to claim by himself so I'm confident that the council tax is ok. I just thought that at his age he got an automatic rebate. But I was wrong again obviously.

Thanks for all the replies but I can't cope with this. I have never been dishonest in my life and I can't cope with this. I am feeling really ill now with all this and don't think I can cope with going to court I would be so ashamed and then I will lose my job which I love. I just can't believe all this has happened and I did not do anything wrong deliberately.

Thanks again.