WTC overpayment, help!

Carrera74

I contacted the WTC office back in May 2005 to tell them that my partner had moved in on 1 May 2005. I gave the helpline my partners and my income for the previous 12 months and I was told I was no longer entitled to WTC but they would send me a form to fill in so that his exact income and mine could be assessed. Not long after I had a serious house fire and ended up living in temporary accommodation for 6 months. I remember a pack coming through at my home address but I presumed that as I had been told on the phone that our joint income was too much to claim I didn't fill it in. I had an awful 6 months coping with the loss of everything I own and I ended up off work and diagnosed with depression and as I had told them of my change of circumstance and the advice given that I was no longer entitled I thought I had done everything I needed to do and I had other things on my mind than filling the form in just for them to tell me again that I wasn't entitled. My tax credit payments stopped that month and I thought that was the end of that.

A couple of weeks ago I received a letter stating that I have been paid too much tax credit so I contacted the tax office and they explained that as I didn't fill the form in there had been a termination notice given for the tax year 2005/6 and although I had been entitled to that period as I hadn't filled the form in I had to pay it back. I explained about the fire and that I had presumed as I had contacted them by phone that I had done everything I should and didn't realise I still had to fill the form in. The lady I spoke to said she'd send an appeal form and it's arrived this morning.

Can anyone advise if I have any chance of getting my claim reinstated as I certainly can't afford to pay back £1900 The guy I spoke to back in 2005 didn't mention anything about needing to fill it in he made it out it was just to check the figures I had given over the phone. He also forgot to tell me that I was still entitled to CTC - this I only found out when I received the overpayment letter and rang the tax office. So that's 2 years worth of money that I was entitled to gone down the pan

Any help would be really appreciated.

Carrera74

I have received a form to fill in for them to reconsider recovery of tax credits. Has anyone any experience of filling this in that they would share with me? I really can't afford to pay this back.