Disputing a Tax Credits overpayment

ironman1

Hi all,

Not been on here for a while but always seem to get alot of good advice...

In June we received a fairly big bill from Hmrc demanding we pay back £984 for an overpayment from the tax year 2013/14. Apparently we underestimated our income. I found this strange as I honestly didn't think we were even on.the radar in terms of Tax Credits as we have not received a payment in over a year. I called and argued but ended up giving in and paying the money up front our of a recent bonus.

Last week we receives another bill for last year saying we owed another £67. Again I called to question this. I told them how we had not even received a renewal pack or confirmation of a Tax Credits award notice last year. Hence why I thought we were no longer involved.

It was only a few weeks ago after paying the 984 overpayment that we received the renewal and award notice in the post for the year 13/14. A whole year late.

The adviser on the phone looked into it and found this was in fact an error on their part and they failed to finalise the notice until last month. He said due to this error we could not be expected to contact them regarding a mistake calculation on our part and that if we appeal through the tc 846 appeal form we may get some of the money back.

Does anyone know the best way to go about this and what I should write on the appeal form? I'm just a bloke in London who works and whose wife has only just returned after maternity pay with two kids and a mortgage. So getting any of the 984 would be a result.

Hope I have worded this well. But Tax Credits are so complicated.

Thanks for any help