Tax credits requesting receipts?

mking3181

Hello

Ive got a bit of an issue with tax credits office, just wondered if anyone had any advice?

A few weeks ago I received a request from them for childcare receipts for the last tax year. In 8 years of claiming, they have never asked for these before so i dont tend to save things like that. I rang them and informed them that i had no receipts, i could get a copy of what id paid from the school from september (start of school year) onwards but they were having trouble going back from april to july, and my childminder had passed all of her receipts to her accountant so i couldnt get copies from her just yet either. I then received a letter from tax credits on monday saying as i couldnt produce receipts then they are removing the school and childminder from my claim and i will have to repay the money. I did speak to them (eventually, after 30 min holding!) and said would they accept the partial receipt from the school and they said no, it had to be a whole years worth or nothing.

Has anyone had an issue similar to this before? Is that true that they wont accept receipts for just parts of the year? And is there anything I can do or am i going to be hit with a massive repayment bill? Any advice gratefully received...

Icequeen99

mking3181 wrote: »

Hello

Ive got a bit of an issue with tax credits office, just wondered if anyone had any advice?

A few weeks ago I received a request from them for childcare receipts for the last tax year. In 8 years of claiming, they have never asked for these before so i dont tend to save things like that. I rang them and informed them that i had no receipts, i could get a copy of what id paid from the school from september (start of school year) onwards but they were having trouble going back from april to july, and my childminder had passed all of her receipts to her accountant so i couldnt get copies from her just yet either. I then received a letter from tax credits on monday saying as i couldnt produce receipts then they are removing the school and childminder from my claim and i will have to repay the money. I did speak to them (eventually, after 30 min holding!) and said would they accept the partial receipt from the school and they said no, it had to be a whole years worth or nothing.

Has anyone had an issue similar to this before? Is that true that they wont accept receipts for just parts of the year? And is there anything I can do or am i going to be hit with a massive repayment bill? Any advice gratefully received...

They are being very unreasonable not to allow part of the claim. If you can prove some of the childcare (From the school) then that is your entitlement.

I would suggest you try and get the receipts you need, let them make the decision and lodge an appeal as soon as you get the final award notice.

IQ

compoff

If you couldn't get receipts for the whole period, the receipts that you have plus a covering letter, with full contact details, for your school and childminder should be sufficient. Further checks can be done if required. Further to this, you could also send bank statements, highlighting the payments being made.
The fact is, even with an appeal, you will still have to produce the evidence to confirm your costs.

Housing_Benefit_Officer

Sometimes when investigating a self employed child minder they contact all the people claiming tax credits giving that person as their child care provider and demand a years receipts.

Some dishonest people, once they get hold of someone's Ofsted number, will fraudulently claim they are paying child care costs. And if they share that number with other people to make fraudulent claims for child care costs - and then it might seem poor child care provider has dozens of clients when the reality is just a handful.

bloolagoon

Surely your bank statement shows the payments?

Also the childminder should be able to get receipts for you - it's only a photocopy if you ask and offer to pay something towards photo copying.

I can see why they do this, I know people who claim childcare whose actual childcare is a lot lower yet claim higher on the off chance they do not get investigated. It's not pleasant for the genuine, but at least it keep none genuine on their toes.

mking3181

I get why they do the checks, thats not a problem, im more annoyed with myself really for not keeping hold of paperwork, but in my defence they havent asked for proof in 7 previous years!

And no, the payments arent on my bank statement, the school only recently implemented an online payment system, prior to that I always had to go into the office with cash. Same with the childminder, i just take her cash once a week and give it to her when i pick up. Saying that, I THINK i might have paid for some of the holiday club sessions in the summer holidays over the phone so I will definitely double check that now, good thinking batman...

FBaby

To be honest, all the childcare providers and schools my children have attended (quite a few over the years!) have all provided me with receipts without my requiring to ask them. To have two providers not automatically doing so AND you never asking for one from either AND you only paying cash both providers would raise suspicions from anyone.

Surely these providers should be able to at least write a letter to confirm how long your children have been there, for how many hours and what the fee is, and maybe you can show regular cash withdrawals of similar amounts?

shedboy94

Housing_Benefit_Officer wrote: »

Sometimes when investigating a self employed child minder they contact all the people claiming tax credits giving that person as their child care provider and demand a years receipts.

Some dishonest people, once they get hold of someone's Ofsted number, will fraudulently claim they are paying child care costs. And if they share that number with other people to make fraudulent claims for child care costs - and then it might seem poor child care provider has dozens of clients when the reality is just a handful.

There are also cases where the claimant and the childminder are working together......the person claims to pay x amount in ccc and the childminder confirms to TCO that they do pay that amount and then they split the money between them. Thankfully checks are now being run on childminders to ensure that the money they claim to charge balances with what they declare on their tax return, and also if they are claiming tax credits themselves, the amount they claim to earn.

The amount of people who claim to pay hundreds of pounds a week to a childminder yet the same childminder claims WTC on the basis of being s/e and earning a fraction of that is unbelievable.

mking3181

The childminder does provide receipts, i just didnt save them as i mentioned, I dont understand why its odd to pay in cash though??

FBaby

Was that out of receipt book? If so, even if she send them to her accountant, it shouldn't be hard work for her to get it back and print copies for you. How long has it been since you've asked your childminder?

Nothing odd paying in cash, it is not receiving receipts that is. You said your childminder did, but not the school? Any school would be expected to provide receipts for any funds received, especially when paid cash.

lukieboy96

When I worked in a Nursery we would get quite a few letters asking us if child came and costs. Quite a few times we had letters from people who didn't come here.

When I used a childminder I would be given a receipt and also I had to sign a book to prove costs. she was contacted and would send photocopy of the forms I signed to tax credits. childminders should keep good records. Also, I agree that a school should have records too.

Maybe in future you could keep a folder with what you paid. It will help in future