Some advice sorely needed

Flugoo3

I last claimed Tax Credits some 15 years ago, I then received a letter from HMRC, a couple of years later, stating I was overpaid tax credits to the tune of just over £2,000. As I am deaf (born with hearing in one ear but lost all hearing 15 years ago) I went to the local citizens advice to seek their help. Citizens advice rang the tax office on my behalf, at first the tax office would not speak to them claiming security prevented them from doing so. This was sorted out by the tax office agreeing to a faxed authorisation from me via citizens advice. A repayment plan of £5.00 per month was agreed and I set up a direct debit to pay the tax office. A few years later and the tax office wrote to me asking for me to contact them as they wanted to know if there was any change in my circumstances (I was on benefits then as I am now) as the £5.00 per month I was paying was deemed to be not enough. Again, I went to citizens advice who contacted the tax office on my behalf. The tax office said that because it costs them more than £5.00 a month to collect this debt and because my circumstances have not changed and it was the tax office who agreed the amount of £5.00 per month, the tax office informed me they were going to write the debt off and I have heard nothing from the tax office since. Imagine my horror when last week I received a letter from LCS demanding I pay the £2,000 in tax credit over payment..........My daughter has tried and tried to ring LCS but they will not answer her calls. I need more time to try and sort this out as I cannot make voice calls and I need to make an appointment with my local Citizens Advice (they are only open 3 days a week and they are extremely busy) so that I can ask them if they have records going back 10-15 years of my dealings with the tax office which I will need. I am really very worried that I will end up getting bailiffs on my door step simply because I am unable to contact LCS to explain things and the tax office, who inform me as they have passed the debt on, told me I need to contact LCS. I am at my wits end so any help, advice would be very much welcomed.

NYM

Did you get any letters from HMRC about writing off the debt?

Darksparkle

What tax year is the overpayment for?

You say you haven't claimed for 15years, I assume it was the old tax credit system as the new one didn't start until 2003?

xylophone

Write to LCS? You would be well advised to keep a copy and send your letter "signed for".

https://www.firstnow.co.uk/contact.php
"If you wish to write to us, you can do so at the following address:
LCS
Town Centre House - Merrion Centre
Leeds
LS2 8LY"

NeilCr

xylophone wrote: »

Write to LCS? You would be well advised to keep a copy and send your letter "signed for".

https://www.firstnow.co.uk/contact.php
"If you wish to write to us, you can do so at the following address:
LCS
Town Centre House - Merrion Centre
Leeds
LS2 8LY"

Yep send it recorded delivery

It may well be worth saying that you are seeking advice from CAB and ask them to hold any action until you have had your interview

You could also have a read of this link on bailiffs - what their powers are, how they should proceed etc

https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/debt-and-money/action-your-creditor-can-take/bailiffs/

konark

Ignore LCS, they don't answer their phone or reply to letters, deal only with HMRC.
Tell HMRC in writing that the debt has been written off so why have they passed it to debt management co.

HMRC will either say, 'yes you're right sorry, we'll call them off'
or
''are you crazy we never wrote this off , where's your proof'

You do have proof don't you?, they would have surely written to you saying as much, it's not as though they could have told you over the telephone..

Forget about bailiffs, LCS have no powers at all, they simply write a load of threatening letters amd if you don't pay they refer it back to HMRC

Tax credits only started in April 2003 so I don't know how you were claiming them before this.

jobbingmusician

Check whether there is an advocacy service in your area. Where I work, we run the advocacy service for people with disabilities, which is separate from the CAB and where you might find a shorter queue to access the service.