national insurance - please help

jayneuk

not sure if im posting in the right place but here goes.

wondered if anyone could help?

i was with someone who was self-employed. he had me down as his partner, for tax reasons or something. we split up 3 years ago, and i have recently had a £350 bill for my national insurance contributions. it seems he was paying his own but not mine. the period is 2001 to 2004. is there any way i can get out of paying this? it has now gone to court and to bailiffs so i am waiting for a visit. although i was down as his partner i didnt do anything - the business was car repairs. he didnt earn much - enough to pay about £100 a year each income tax. i am now a single parent on benefits.

do i have to pay the debt?

johnmoney05

jayneuk wrote:

not sure if im posting in the right place but here goes.

wondered if anyone could help?

i was with someone who was self-employed. he had me down as his partner, for tax reasons or something. we split up 3 years ago, and i have recently had a £350 bill for my national insurance contributions. it seems he was paying his own but not mine. the period is 2001 to 2004. is there any way i can get out of paying this? it has now gone to court and to bailiffs so i am waiting for a visit. although i was down as his partner i didnt do anything - the business was car repairs. he didnt earn much - enough to pay about £100 a year each income tax. i am now a single parent on benefits.

do i have to pay the debt?

NO, you don't. Tell the bailiff that you are single parent and on benefits. Why do you need to pay anything. Make sure you don't have car, nice stereo, tv, washing machine, dish washing machine....at home. In case the beliliff takes them away...

jayneuk

But I do have a washing machine and dishwasher etc. What I meant is that I do have to pay it, do I? I mean I do owe it? There isn't any way I can get it waived?

CIS

Your equally responsible for paying your own NI even in a partnership, if he was taking the money and not paying it, I suspect you would need to take a civil case to recover the money but you would still be liable for the outstanding debt.

mrs_deadline

If you really don't believe you were liable, why didn't you go to the court hearing and challenge it?

chesky369

I hope you're paying your NI contributions now, even if you're not employed. It's really important that women especially take responsibility for this, since so many are facing a poverty-stricken old age because they didn't pay them whilst at home bringing up children.

jayneuk

I am a single parent now on incapacity benefit and disability living allowance. Do I still need to be paying it?

I see from your replies that I do have to pay it, so will just have to hope the bailiff is in a good mood!

Thanks for all your help.

mrs_deadline

Jayneuk, you don't need to pay it any more - pension-wise you are covered by home responsibilities protection if you're at home with children and/or claiming benefits.

I can't say I have any experience with bailiffs but sitting back and waiting in hope doesn't sound like the best idea to me!

Have you tried phoning the tax people at all? If you explain the circumstances, ask for sympathetic treatment and offer to pay it off in small instalments, I think there's a good chance they will call off the bailiff.

EdInvestor

Suggest you try the CAB for any pointers.