Worried about tax credits

Darlyd

Am asking on behalf of a friend. (she has no access to internet)

Her DH left October last year 2011, she has 2 children 5 and 9, they live in marital home where he pays the mortgage, council tax and sky (as he uses the account for sports on his ipad).

She works part time, and told tax credits that she may earn 10k this coming year (they never asked for last year as they never claimed it as DH earned to much), she has not earned near enough to 10k since October, and she is concerned that when it's time to renew she will have to pay tax credits back? She also says that because her DH messes around about having the kids, she has had to have a lot of time off work as no one to look after the kids and she can't afford to place them in after school club (it's owned by a private crech) and even by next April she still would not of made 10k in a year. ?

If she rung TC (she can't get through at the minute) to tell them she probably earn about 4-6k will she lose TC? Will she have to pay anything back?

To be honest she put in a claim for Income support as youngest is 5, she is really struggling at the minute, as her work involves driving which she does not get paid extra for and it's only minimum wage, she wants to finish work as the shifts she is giving sometimes start for 8am, some days finish at 10pm etc, she really can't be doing them anymore as she has no one to look after the kids. Income support have asked her to send in bank statement to prove DH pays her maintenance (which he does a little) and also mortgage papers (which she has nothing to do with and is not on speaking terms with DH), she threw the form in the bin, she really does not want to claim benefits as she never has in her life time. She is so depressed and I have advised her to go visit her GP.

I don't know what advice to give her. She really is struggling and afraid she will have to pay TC back OR lose money for not working the minimum 16 hr.. ?

Any advice I can pass on to her?

Perhaps it would be worthwhile for her to claim JSA but then she would have to finish her current job, and might not be eligible? (like I said her job is on a rota basis which does not work around her kids as being a single mum now) If she did claim JSA and got accepted (she has never paid tax) will her TC go up or stay the same? (think she gets roughly £230 pw DLA element too).

NoBS_2

Well certainly based on what you've told us, she should not be claiming as a single person even if her ex-partner does not live with her.

If he is paying all of those things then this is far much more than a maintenance agreement. Single claimants get additional help because they are the only person paying. If she is having these things paid for her then it kind of defeats that purpose. They are financially linked and this will be discovered when they check her statements.

One of the first things the fraud helpline ask about is who someone's digital contract is with ie sky/virgin because they check to see if sports and certain adult channels are being subscribed to that they wouldn't expect the claimant to pay for. They also check who it's registered to and who is paying for it.

I suggest your friend gives them everything they ask for but be prepared for a long battle proving she is single.

welshmoneylover

darlyd wrote: »

Am asking on behalf of a friend. (she has no access to internet)

Her DH left October last year 2011, she has 2 children 5 and 9, they live in marital home where he pays the mortgage, council tax and sky (as he uses the account for sports on his ipad).

She works part time, and told tax credits that she may earn 10k this coming year (they never asked for last year as they never claimed it as DH earned to much), she has not earned near enough to 10k since October, and she is concerned that when it's time to renew she will have to pay tax credits back? She also says that because her DH messes around about having the kids, she has had to have a lot of time off work as no one to look after the kids and she can't afford to place them in after school club (it's owned by a private crech) and even by next April she still would not of made 10k in a year. ?

If she rung TC (she can't get through at the minute) to tell them she probably earn about 4-6k will she lose TC? Will she have to pay anything back?

To be honest she put in a claim for Income support as youngest is 5, she is really struggling at the minute, as her work involves driving which she does not get paid extra for and it's only minimum wage, she wants to finish work as the shifts she is giving sometimes start for 8am, some days finish at 10pm etc, she really can't be doing them anymore as she has no one to look after the kids. Income support have asked her to send in bank statement to prove DH pays her maintenance (which he does a little) and also mortgage papers (which she has nothing to do with and is not on speaking terms with DH), she threw the form in the bin, she really does not want to claim benefits as she never has in her life time. She is so depressed and I have advised her to go visit her GP.

I don't know what advice to give her. She really is struggling and afraid she will have to pay TC back OR lose money for not working the minimum 16 hr.. ?

Any advice I can pass on to her?

Perhaps it would be worthwhile for her to claim JSA but then she would have to finish her current job, and might not be eligible? (like I said her job is on a rota basis which does not work around her kids as being a single mum now) If she did claim JSA and got accepted (she has never paid tax) will her TC go up or stay the same? (think she gets roughly £230 pw DLA element too).

She doesn't sound like a single claimant to me.

Darlyd

Weird because he is living with someone else in a caravan outside her parents home hence having sky at my friends address so he can use on ipad. He pays mortgage and his mother pays council tax for the kids really.

I don't understand how she is classed as not being single?

NoBS_2

darlyd wrote: »

Weird because he is living with someone else in a caravan outside her parents home hence having sky at my friends address so he can use on ipad. He pays mortgage and his mother pays council tax for the kids really.

I don't understand how she is classed as not being single?

Because they are financially linked and he is paying bills for her. When she applies for any benefits she will need to tell them he is doing this and also that a third party is paying the council tax.

The big push right now is against single claimants. You can search on here and will find some useful posts that have been up recently. They discuss how people have had their awards terminated and meetings with Compliance/Fraud teams because the claimant is financially linked to the ex, even when some have been seperated years.

It would be best the Sky is removed for starters because that is going to cause real issues. If he is using his ipad for sky sports then surely that would be sky Gold which you can take anywhere picking up a signal?

How long have they been seperated? This is a big point the Compliance teams are looking at. But even based on the ex's circumstances it is going to be really difficult for your friend when the departments check her financial situation ie bank statements etc proving she really is for benefit purposes, single.

I assume your friend is receiving Working Tax Credits, but she can't have both JSA and WTC concurrently, it would have to be one or the other unless on less than 16 hours. If she is receiving the disabled element of working tax credit this would also stop if she worked under 16 hours.