I sent tax credit form 4 days late - & they want it all back

lrj

It's great to see support here to help people with the mess that the TCO has created. My problem is a bit different.

I missed the 31st Jan 07 deadline for sending the annual declaration form. I only missed it by 4 days. Thay now say that because I missed the deadine, all tax credits from April 06 - Jan 07 are classed as overpayments & we have to pay back £500, despite being entitled to it.

I've tried a written complaint to Preston, noting the delay of weeks because it took me 3 attempts to get the right documents from the helpline, and my self-employed accounts taking a while, but they say "becasue of vast press & media coverage it wasn't reasonable for me not to complete the form on time".

Any thoughts anyone? Thanks Laurence

Morglin

Try this:

http://www.taxaid.org.uk/

Lin

System

Last year the date for the return of Tax Credit Annual declarations was 31 August 2006 so if you had until 31 January 2007 you had already been given extra time.

The tax credit system automatically terminates the claim when the declaration fails to arrive on time. It's only in exceptional circumstances that such a claim would be reinstated.

If you want to claim tax credits again you will have to make a new claim.

welshcakes

I have to say in defence of a lot of families I expect, that I find it entirely hypocritical of Tax Credits to supply a prepaid envelope for returning the forms and then to turn round and say that since the returned forms don't show up on their system, it is down to the claimant to secure confirmed delivery (ie registered, signed for). This is what I have previously been told by a TC staff member. So what, use the envelope and method of return that they supply at your own peril?

I can understand if they want repayment when it is found that the family was NOT eligible in the first place but when the money entitlement is verified as fair but demanded back due to postal losses/tax credit maladministration, I think it stinks.

Like many, I looked at my review forms that recently came through and wondered if it was worth the stress and almost guaranteed future dispute. If it wasn;t for the fact that my family survive on a low household income, I would have happily torn the darn thing up.

Rant over, I feel better

DazzerG

Why not call?

And why leave it sooo late?

seven-day-weekend

I hope you get your tax credits back, but why on earth leave it so late? It's like arriving at 10.15 for a bus that leaves at 10.00 and then complaining that it has gone without you.


I would ring them and make a new claim for them and then learn from this experience.

I hope you get them, good luck

lrj

Thanks for all the replies. I certainly have learnt from the experience - I didn't realise the full implications of being late...I though they would just stop current payments, not reclaim past payments, which to me seems very harsh.
I know, its probably stated somewhere on the reams of forms they send. The trick is knowing which are the important forms - I know that now!

I didn't phone because I needed to send a *** working sheet for trading losses - a form which they took weeks to send to me becasue the helpline staff hadn't heard of it... ah well....