Help! Tax credits are after me....from 6yrs ago

elliewild

Back in 2008/09 tax year my husband was claiming tax credits, but then changed his hours of work and rang tax credits to inform them.


Now 6 years later we received a letter out of the blue from a debt collector stating we have to repay £1200 tax credits. we have been negociating with them after this letter trying to get HMRC to explain how we owe this money all of a sudden.

the debt collection agency were called off while they investigated. They originally were trying to get some money for the tax year 2005/6 too.

they have since come back to us saying that 2005/6 was written off. But say we still owe this money from 2008/09.

since it was that long ago (and we have only recently been contacted about this - 6 yrs later) i have no idea whether we have received this overpayment of 1200 or how the system could allow us to be overpaid this much in just one year without noticing.

what i would like help with is if we do actually have to pay this money back. is there a point after so many years when it would be written off? - can they really chase you up after so many years and demand payment? its making my husband really ill and depressed over it, and i dont know what else to do. I dont want to pay it off in a payment plan because from my perspective it is a mistake on their part, not ours and they have harrassed us with this debt collection agency, after having no contact with them for 6yrs.

any advice?

pmlindyloo

I don't know what our 'experts' think but this seems to be a good guide on the steps you need to take:

http://static.advicenow.org.uk/files/tax-credit-overpayments-2013-77.pdf

elliewild

I don't have any award letters on the payments and yes 2008/9 was the last time I received payments.

I have tried to ask them the reason for overpayment but they have sent me letters trying to explain this and I simply do not understand why it has happened.

I really need advice on this, my husband is worried that bailiffs will come and take our possessions, we can't afford to pay.

pmlindyloo

elliewild wrote: »

I don't have any award letters on the payments and yes 2008/9 was the last time I received payments.

I have tried to ask them the reason for overpayment but they have sent me letters trying to explain this and I simply do not understand why it has happened.

I really need advice on this, my husband is worried that bailiffs will come and take our possessions, we can't afford to pay.

Please read the link I gave you about what you have to do to challenge this.

Since they have already sent letters giving you the reason for the overpayment and you do not understand them then seek some help from CAB or a welfare advisor at your local council (if they have one)

You will need to take with you bank statements from the period/pay slips/benefit award letters/any letters from tax credits that you have.