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Oh Dear! Very Stressed out Pregnant Person.
Anneliese13
Posts: 54 Forumite
Hello again! Hope someone can help.
My sister began receiving tax credits nearly three years ago when her son was born. It was a messy claim comprising temporary jobs, maternity leave, sick pay and changes of hours. Eventually things settled down, but there was missing paperwork / evidence and delays reporting changes of circumstance. Nobody had a clue how much the award was supposed to be and as usual, trusted them!
Some time in 2006 she noticed that the £80 or so per fortnight from the tax credits people had been stopped. We queried this and they confirmed that there had been an overpayment which they were recovering, due to be finished by 2007.
We phoned yesterday to check this and were told that there will be another year of nothing. This is very worrying as she has taken voluntary redundancy on the basis that with tax credits being awarded once more, she could manage to stay at home with her son and baby due in May.
My questions are:
(i) Is there a snowball's chance in hell she can appeal at this late stage?
(ii) Could she plead hardship?
(iii) Despite the overpayment, will she get anything at all when the new baby comes? Do they separate new circumstances like this from past mix ups?
(iv) Although she is entitled to tax credits, but is not getting them, the C.S.A is taking them into account when working out her husband's payments for his child from a previous relationship. Can they do this? And if so, does it then follow that she can claim a maternity grant / council tax and housing benefit on the strength of this?
I do feel for her: The redundancy money (N.H.S - less than £2000) was a pittance and her hubby is only earning about £10,000, but they have always worked long hard hours and have never claimed a penny in benefit although I dare say they have missed out on a few in their time.
Thanking you in advance.
My sister began receiving tax credits nearly three years ago when her son was born. It was a messy claim comprising temporary jobs, maternity leave, sick pay and changes of hours. Eventually things settled down, but there was missing paperwork / evidence and delays reporting changes of circumstance. Nobody had a clue how much the award was supposed to be and as usual, trusted them!
Some time in 2006 she noticed that the £80 or so per fortnight from the tax credits people had been stopped. We queried this and they confirmed that there had been an overpayment which they were recovering, due to be finished by 2007.
We phoned yesterday to check this and were told that there will be another year of nothing. This is very worrying as she has taken voluntary redundancy on the basis that with tax credits being awarded once more, she could manage to stay at home with her son and baby due in May.
My questions are:
(i) Is there a snowball's chance in hell she can appeal at this late stage?
(ii) Could she plead hardship?
(iii) Despite the overpayment, will she get anything at all when the new baby comes? Do they separate new circumstances like this from past mix ups?
(iv) Although she is entitled to tax credits, but is not getting them, the C.S.A is taking them into account when working out her husband's payments for his child from a previous relationship. Can they do this? And if so, does it then follow that she can claim a maternity grant / council tax and housing benefit on the strength of this?
I do feel for her: The redundancy money (N.H.S - less than £2000) was a pittance and her hubby is only earning about £10,000, but they have always worked long hard hours and have never claimed a penny in benefit although I dare say they have missed out on a few in their time.
Thanking you in advance.
0
Comments
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they cant just give her nothing for the whole year, it will depend on her new award and what she owes.
how much was the overpayment ?0 -
Funny you should ask that. I've just been on to them about my future claim as I'm currently paying back £4 per week from AGES ago, and the advisor told me he didn't have access to that information!0
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