Council tax benefit muck up - help please

amorge

Hi all,
I hope this is on the correct board....

In Feb this year my husband left. I contact the Council tax & applied for CT benefit. I took in all the proof they needed, a letter from ex saying what date he left, 3 payslips and a new award notice from tax credits.

I received a new CT bill a couple of weeks later saying that I only have to pay £15 a month...since then I have informed them of any changes to my circumstances, these were annual wage increase of £200 and the fact my 16yr old left school but now attends full time college.

In June I received an amended CT bill saying I'd had an overpayment of benefit and now need to pay £78 a mth. I appealed and was rejected, they have confirmed that I gave them all the correct information at the relevant times.

Yesterday I receive a letter saying still had an overpayment (even though paying £78 a mth) and now need to pay £104 until March 2012!!!

I'm fuming, they have really screwed me around, not to mention totally mucked up my budgeting!

Does anyone have any ideas on who I can talk to next? i'm at a total loss on what to do

Thanks

Eager_Elephant

Hi

You need to get together all the assessment paperwork that has been sent to you from the Local Authority and work out from the dates shown on each letter whether the income they are using for every period is correct. Make sure you check that your son is still listed as a dependent and not as a non-dependent as they would still count your tax credits as an income even if he is listed incorrectly.

Remember that because Council Tax Benefit is awarded up until 31st March every year it can appear you are paying a lot back in one go but really if it had been spread over all the relevant months then it would not be as much.

Also check the Council Tax bills you have been sent to see what they say.

For CTB the yearly charge is broken down in to a weekly amount but usually you still only pay over 10 months.

Once you have done all this come back and let us know how you got on.

amorge

Hi thanks, I am off work on Wednesday so plan to sort through all the info they have sent me and then will update