child tax credits overpayment - HELP!!!!

starlight5

Hi this is my 1st ever post & have joined as really need advice. To summarise my credit award 12/13 advised that I owed £2773 & I have received notices to pay as I'm no longer entitled to anything. I have also received a futher notice for £555 for period ending 5/4/12. when I phoned them for explanation they said it was going back to 2009 when I was made redundant, took part time temp job, estimated income but took on irregular overtime when offered. I'd therefore estimated my income as I really didn;t know what it would be from one week to the next. I appreciate that this led to overpayment but my gripe is why 3 years on did they continue to keep paying me despite mentioning overpayments on the renewal. I always told them of annual amounts based on my P60 and told them of changes in hours. They once had my husband down as not working when that's never been the case so I advised them of their oversight immediately. I had written to them & they have deducted £300 off the total (only to follow on with the extra £555 the following day). they're telling me that I haven't met my responsibilities but I feel that apart from 2009 which was impossible to predict and a very stressful year I have met them. On their letter is states that the max amount they can reduce payments are 100% for people receiving only the family element of the CTC. I'd have thought that would have been me & if so why didn;t they just stop paying after 2009 & not continually increase my debt. Hope someone out there can shed some light on this. Citizens Advice is my next route i think

EllaNElsie

Apparently they carry on with overpayments so that families do not fall into financial crisis???
I had a similar conversation with them yesterday, I am finding that policy so hard to get my head around, it is just ridiculous how is overpaying then demanding it back goiing to help anybody?

starlight5

unbelievable!! why do they say they can reduce future payments by 100% then & not do so, just doesn't make any sense. have noticed that £151 of the £555 they're asking for is working tax credit overpayment - I've never been entitled to that! Am going to write as I just get too upset on the phone after all the hanging on waiting to get through. Thanks for your quick reply though, really supportive!