WTC problem - bullying tactics

50Twuncle

Hi,
We last put in a joint claim for WTC - almost 2 years ago - this ran until the end of last tax year (stopped April 4th 2011) - when I lost my job - My income increased by £600 per month during the claim (I was offered and accepted medical retirement pension from my former government employer) - I informed WTC as soon as I knew this...
Within a few weeks - my wife was made redundant (she lost her £600 per week job) - which I again informed WTC about ....
I was working 16 hours per week and claiming Disability Premium

The rate that we received WTC at increased from £200 to £300 per month - Which I thought nothing about at the time (I posted a question on MSE asking what the average WTC rate that people received was - and it was about £200 - £300 - so I assumed that this was normal

I lost my job in April 2011 and the WTC stopped

Next - We started getting letters in Feb 2012 - informing us that we owed over £1800 in overpaid WTC !!
I wrote to WTC to ask them why - they told me that my income was over the claim limit
I replied telling them that I had kept them informed all the time about our income changes and if they had reduced our benefit straight away - this would have compensated for this rise (in fact my wifes loss was almost identical to my gain - so ...)
They informed me that our taxable income was over £20,436 during the tax year - which it wasn't (it was £18,600) - an error by DWP, that I had received double ESA for 6 months - had filtered through the system and despite them being informed multiple times - appears unchangeable
Next a summons appeared in the post - which I decided not to fight and accepted - they have not told me how to pay, how much or when
I am fed up with the bullying tactics and just want to clear our names

One thing I have learnt - you never get something for nothing and never try to claim WTC again.....

Wywth

21Twinkle wrote: »

Hi,
We last put in a joint claim for WTC - almost 2 years ago - this ran until the end of last tax year (stopped April 4th 2011) - when I lost my job - My income increased by £600 per month during the claim (I was offered and accepted medical retirement pension from my former government employer) - I informed WTC as soon as I knew this...
Within a few weeks - my wife was made redundant (she lost her £600 per week job) - which I again informed WTC about ....
I was working 16 hours per week and claiming Disability Premium

The rate that we received WTC at increased from £200 to £300 per month - Which I thought nothing about at the time (I posted a question on MSE asking what the average WTC rate that people received was - and it was about £200 - £300 - so I assumed that this was normal

I lost my job in April 2011 and the WTC stopped

Next - We started getting letters in Feb 2012 - informing us that we owed over £1800 in overpaid WTC !!
I wrote to WTC to ask them why - they told me that my income was over the claim limit
I replied telling them that I had kept them informed all the time about our income changes and if they had reduced our benefit straight away - this would have compensated for this rise (in fact my wifes loss was almost identical to my gain - so ...)
They informed me that our taxable income was over £20,436 during the tax year - which it wasn't (it was £18,600) - an error by DWP, that I had received double ESA for 6 months - had filtered through the system and despite them being informed multiple times - appears unchangeable
Next a summons appeared in the post - which I decided not to fight and accepted - they have not told me how to pay, how much or when
I am fed up with the bullying tactics and just want to clear our names

One thing I have learnt - you never get something for nothing and never try to claim WTC again.....

Oh, I feel for you, I really do.

Bullying is a heinous act by that some humans seem to take pleasure from. I am glad you have mustered the courage to speak out about this, as bullying often goes unmentioned.

I found some of the following suggestions on anti-bullying produced by a well known organisation who regularly deal with such matters

• Stop thinking like a victim - you do not deserve this. Walk tall: pretend you are confident, even if you are not. Look at the bullies as if they are not frightening you, even if you do not feel that way inside.
• Laugh at or ignore comments. Bullies are ignorant and cowardly. They want your scared reaction - humour or silence might throw them off.
• You can shout ‘No’ or ‘Go away’. But say it forcefully and walk away immediately. Practise in the mirror.
• If bullies are bothering you, do not react. Walk away as calmly and quickly as possible.

Perhaps some or all of these suggestions may help you?

Congratulations, once again, for having the courage to openly discuss this bullying you are experiencing.

50Twuncle

Wywth wrote: »

Oh, I feel for you, I really do.

Bullying is a heinous act by that some humans seem to take pleasure from. I am glad you have mustered the courage to speak out about this, as bullying often goes unmentioned.

I found some of the following suggestions on anti-bullying produced by a well known organisation who regularly deal with such matters

Perhaps some or all of these suggestions may help you?

Congratulations, once again, for having the courage to openly discuss this bullying you are experiencing.

Thanks but when you have a faceless government department to battle against - most of your suggestions won't help.....