Omg Please Help Me!!!!!

nonono_3

hi everyone,

I am such need of help im petrified, i havent slept for 3 days and im feeling really ill. I have been claiming tax credits now since 2001 when my daughter was born. I am a single mother and disabled, i have always worked and had childcare for my daughter (hence my claim).
RIght then, on wednesday a letter arrived from hm revenue and customs, saying......"thankyou for finalising your claim for the yr ended 5th april 2007. I am writing to tell you that I intend to enquire into your claims. Each year we enquire into some tax credit claims to check that they were correct, or because we need further information to understand figures, we want to make sure you received the right amount of tax credit, not to little or too much. I will let you know if i find something wrong. My enquiry will check that on your claim you have correctly stated your family and personal circumstances and your income for that year".
Then they request....wait for it.....
LAST 12 MONTHS BANK STATEMENTS,
SAVINGS PASSBOOKS IF HELD,
HOUSEHOLD BILLS, GAS, ELEC, WATER ETC
COUNCIL TAX BILL,
HOUSING BENEFIT OR COUNCIL TAX BENEFIT IF RECEIVED,
MOST RECENT MORTGAGE STATEMENT OR RENTAL AGREEMENT IF HELD,
LOAN OR CREDIT ARRANGEMENTS AND CONFIRMATIONS,
IF YOU HAVE A CAR, CAR INSURANCE DOCUMENTS COVERING THE PERIOD 2005 TO 2006,
HOUSEHOLD INSURANCE DOCUMENTS 2006-2007,
NAMES ADDRESSES AND REG NUMBERS FOR ALL CHILDCARE PROVIDERS,
ALL CONTRACTS HELD FOR CHILDCARE SHOWING DAYS YOUR CHILD IS CARED FOR, HOURS AND COSTS,
RECEIPTS OF PAYMENTS,
ANY OTHER INCOME THAT YOU RECEIVED BETWEEN 2006 AND 2007 OVER £300,
ANY SOCIAL SECURITY BENEFITS,
NAMES AND ADDRESS' OF ALL EMPLOYERS WITH DATES OF EMPLOYMENT AND NUMBER OF HOURS,
A CONTRACT OF EMPLOYMENT IF ONE HELD,
2005-2006 2006-2007 P60'S,
STATE NUMBER OF HOURS YOU HAVE WORKED AND ANY CHANGE IN HOURS,
ALL ADULTS/CHILDREN LIVING IN YOUR HOUSE,
DETAILS OF ANY CHANGES IN YOUR HOUSEHOLD.

WELL after seeing all that i have gone into mad panic and overdrive, i am currently off work and have been since august with severe stress and depression and am on medication...this hasnt helped.
I rang the number on the letter explaining that i dont have some of the information ie, (bank statements) i bank on line and dont keep them, ( i have managed to find 2) my utility bills i throw away, i have my p60 for 05-06 but not for 06-07, i am in the process of starting a new job due to major employer issues which i consulted a solicitor about so no contract of employment, i also rent off a friend and have an informal agreement (£300 a month but if i cant manage that one month its not a problem) so no formal contract.
The lady was very nice on the phone and said write a letter and explain what i have got and what i havent, (she said she could get my bank statements and p60 and bills etc for me) and also write about my tennancy etc. I explained that i have a mortgage statement on a property that i have had to let out miles away as i had to relocate due to major family problems but the rent doesnt cover the mortgage ..... to my horror she said that will have to be noted as its classed as another income... i didnt no that!!!!!

ANYWAY....i have now read the forums and im so scared that i will have been over paid and be in a mess money wise if thats the case like thousands of others seem to be. I have renewed my claims each year giving the correct info and informed them of changes of employers and childcare providers etc over the phone as they lost/didnt receive my written claim pack, i have also not had any letters telling me what money i get and why so have presumed they have had the correct info and everything was as it should be as my credits were stopped once a while back as they said once again they hadnt received my form/application and had had my entitlement for the year, now however this letter has come through im beside myself with worry.....
no one i know has had a letter like this, has anyone on here had this same letter or know anyone that has? I feel asking for all my personal info that i have never had to declare before is a total invasion of my privacy but also seems very strange... why do they want my car insurance documents, (i can provide them as i have a disability car but thats not the point).

PLEASE HELP ME!
thankyou.

dmg24

Hi nonono,

Welcome to MSE.

Try not to worry, these enquiries are sometimes prompted by an inaccurate/ fraudulent claim, but more often than not it is just a random check up (that just causes a load of hassle for the claimant!).

You have clearly been honest about your situation, so I am sure that they will find nothing wrong. In the cases where there has been an overpayment, it is all too often their fault.

There are lots of people that have experience with tax credits, so they'll be able to give you much more information.

Take care x

viktory

That is an obscene amount of information they want! It would take me days to get that lot together. As dmg says, don't worry at all. I am sure you will be fine, just a random check.

Fran

nonono,

If you take all the details you can to your local Citizens Advice Bureau or other local benefits advice organisation they will be able to tell you what the correct amount should be. CAB can also be useful in negotiating and also if you have to pay back eg. the rent income you have had, they can advise of the best approach.

Morglin

These people may also be able to help you:

http://www.taxaid.org.uk/

Lin

System

nonono - Just to pick up on one point.

If you receive rent from a property you own then yes it is classed as OTHER income and should be declared to both the Tax Credit Office (TCO), on the annual declaration form, and the Inland Revenue, on a yearly tax return form.

However if the rent you receive is less than the mortgage interest you pay then you are making a LOSS and you won't have any extra income to declare above your income from your employment to the TCO. You would still need to complete the tax return form.

For help you can also make an appointment at your local HMRC enquiry centre as can access both your tax credit and tax records whilst you are there. Bank statements, utility bills etc can be obtained just by asking the banks etc for copies

socks_uk

nonono wrote: »

Then they request....wait for it.....
LAST 12 MONTHS BANK STATEMENTS,
SAVINGS PASSBOOKS IF HELD,
HOUSEHOLD BILLS, GAS, ELEC, WATER ETC
COUNCIL TAX BILL,
HOUSING BENEFIT OR COUNCIL TAX BENEFIT IF RECEIVED,
MOST RECENT MORTGAGE STATEMENT OR RENTAL AGREEMENT IF HELD,
LOAN OR CREDIT ARRANGEMENTS AND CONFIRMATIONS,
IF YOU HAVE A CAR, CAR INSURANCE DOCUMENTS COVERING THE PERIOD 2005 TO 2006,
HOUSEHOLD INSURANCE DOCUMENTS 2006-2007,
NAMES ADDRESSES AND REG NUMBERS FOR ALL CHILDCARE PROVIDERS,
ALL CONTRACTS HELD FOR CHILDCARE SHOWING DAYS YOUR CHILD IS CARED FOR, HOURS AND COSTS,
RECEIPTS OF PAYMENTS,
ANY OTHER INCOME THAT YOU RECEIVED BETWEEN 2006 AND 2007 OVER £300,
ANY SOCIAL SECURITY BENEFITS,
NAMES AND ADDRESS' OF ALL EMPLOYERS WITH DATES OF EMPLOYMENT AND NUMBER OF HOURS,
A CONTRACT OF EMPLOYMENT IF ONE HELD,
2005-2006 2006-2007 P60'S,
STATE NUMBER OF HOURS YOU HAVE WORKED AND ANY CHANGE IN HOURS,
ALL ADULTS/CHILDREN LIVING IN YOUR HOUSE,
DETAILS OF ANY CHANGES IN YOUR HOUSEHOLD.

Sorry to hear your problem nonono and my reply won't directly help you yourself but may help others...

KEEP EVERYTHING!

Buy yourself a cheap filing cabinet or just get yourself a suitably sized box and some plastic A4 wallets or suspension files and file everything.
Thank goodness I did because on more than one occasion I've needed past utility bills ( An estimated gas bill said my meter reading was MORE than the meter was actually reading when I got the bill and was being charged a few hundred pounds more than I should have been) and of course I have every single stupid Tax Credit letters and still can't figure out how I came to be overpaid.

C_Ronaldo

socks_uk wrote: »

Sorry to hear your problem nonono and my reply won't directly help you yourself but may help others...

KEEP EVERYTHING!

Buy yourself a cheap filing cabinet or just get yourself a suitably sized box and some plastic A4 wallets or suspension files and file everything.
Thank goodness I did because on more than one occasion I've needed past utility bills ( An estimated gas bill said my meter reading was MORE than the meter was actually reading when I got the bill and was being charged a few hundred pounds more than I should have been) and of course I have every single stupid Tax Credit letters and still can't figure out how I came to be overpaid.

its alright saying to keep everything but i dont keep car insurance docs which cover 2005 to 2006, i dont keep any bills for that period of time

looby75

what the heck have utility bills/insurance policy's got to do with tax credits. Surely they don't need that level of information

System

looby75 wrote: »

what the heck have utility bills/insurance policy's got to do with tax credits. Surely they don't need that level of information

If the utility bills aren't in nonono's name or the bills are too large for nonono to pay on the income they declared then its suspicious.

nonono is undergoing one of the random checks that TCO regularly do to keep in check the huge amount of tax credit fraud that goes on. AND I'm not suggesting for one second that nonono was committing fraud just that they were one of the unlucky names to be picked out of the hat.

shazrobo

hi nonono i too have been investigated by the tax office, apparently as a single mum on benefits i spend too much on petrol etc???
let me point out i am a carer for my two severly disabled children, so i can't work, secondly the costs of running a car, comes from the kids dla money as it is for there benefit, i would never be able to leave the house with my sons without it.
don't worry, if they have overpaid you, you can pay it back a little at a time.
for example they said i could repay over the next 12 months.