Hmrc want 2.3k help please!

Startup1985

Hi all

I'm December 2015 I bought my first house and my girlfriend and her daughter moved in with me, previously they were renting off the council and I was living with my parents. She was recieving working tax credits before we moved in together.
Two weeks before the move date she notified Hmrc that we would be moving in together and they told her it was to early and told her to ring back when she has actually moved. In the first week of moving in she called again and notified them of the change and the claim was ended. The advisor told her that she would still recieve the benefit until sometime in January which she did.
Now fast forward to today and there is a letter in the doorstep saying that she owes £2300 for overpayment from December 7 to January 26. In sheer panic she has rung them and they say it is because even though she notified them before she moved in to say stop the claim on Dec 7th that she never ring back on the 7th to finalise it. We both know for a fact that she did ring them albeit on around the 9th to notify them she was in the new house. They say that there is no record of this but claim she rung them on January the 26th to stop the claim, which she never she actually ring to see if she could get any help towards childcare. I'm so furious that they admit she notified them early and they accepted she wanted the claim to stop on December the 7th but they didn't actually stop it then and say it is because she didn't ring back again. We are not in debt but we cannot afford to pay that amount back after buying this home and renovating it, they also want the money by this time next month even though it is double my partners monthly wage. What the hell do we do?

DCFC79

Put a complaint in.
Contact your local MP.
May try a SAR and see if telephone transcripts are included.

Startup1985

DCFC79 wrote: »

Put a complaint in.
Contact your local MP.
May try a SAR and see if telephone transcripts are included.

Hi sorry I'm new to all this, what is a SAR? Thanks for your help it's much appreciated

Karonher

Startup1985 wrote: »

Hi sorry I'm new to all this, what is a SAR? Thanks for your help it's much appreciated

Subject Access Request - the details are here.


https://www.gov.uk/guidance/hmrc-subject-access-request

Startup1985

Karonher wrote: »

Subject Access Request - the details are here.


https://www.gov.uk/guidance/hmrc-subject-access-request

Thanks very much

fatbelly

DCFC79 wrote: »

Put a complaint in.
Contact your local MP.
May try a SAR and see if telephone transcripts are included.

They are included - you get them on a cd. For now this is a benefits issue and you may get help on the benefits board.

Don't panic - nothing is going to happen in the short term if you don't pay up. Here's a couple of useful publications

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/tax-credits-what-happens-if-youve-been-paid-too-much-cop26

http://www.advicenow.org.uk/guides/how-deal-tax-credit-overpayment

You have 3 months to put a dispute in on a tc846

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/tax-credits-overpayment-tc846