Omg Please Help Me!!!!!

tincat

Please don't worry. I had the same thing 2 years ago, with a very long list of docs that they asked for - I think it was almost exactly the same as your list.

I was self employed getting WTC and CTC and they said they needed to investigate. A man and woman came around - I'd been up all night getting as much info together as I could, and was really nervous.

They were very nice though, and just asked questions about the various things, wanted to see childcare receipts, and to see that I was the bill payer for the various accounts - probably to make sure you haven't got a partner paying them for you.

They didn't go into everything, but were reasonably thorough. If you're honest I don't think you have to worry. Just explain that you didn't keep various records as you didn't think it necessary.

Good luck

POO_HEAD

I wouldnt worry to much, these people do these kind of investigations all the time and they`ll know that the average person may have lost, misplaced or quit simply dont have some of the various documents that they requested.

If it turns out that you do owe them some of the money back that they`ve paid you over the years then i`m sure that they`ll work out an easy and convinient way for you to pay them back, after all if you were in a strong financial postion then you wouldn`t need to claim tax credits in the first place.

nonono_3

thankyou all for your help,

i have spoken to the lady that had sent me the letter about the investigation (she did seem quite nice) I am in the process at the moment of changing jobs so im waiting for my p45 and my new contract of employment. I cnnot find ny household bills so i have contacted them and asked for one to be sent for me, (do you think however the bank statements that i can find -- only two im afraid, will suffice as all my monies being paid out are via direct debit) I have clearly marked them on my bank statements to be see, such as, childcare, gas, elec, loan, credit cards, overdraft, insurances (dog, house, life cic etc, boiler, phone, appliances), I have done a hand written letter explaining my hours of work and incomings, I have enclosed a letter from my childminder with costs etc, my car insurance was provided for me as I had a disability car and my p60 I have found.
I am hoping that the information I have been able to find and provide will be enough, I am now however having to condend with the harsh reality that thousands of people have been over paid and I may be one of them, I am now starting to regret the acceptance of my new job, I was coping very well with my medication for my depression/stress but have starting drifting back into my old ways, I havent slept now for three nights with worry, I at the moment am just about coping financialy and not sure how the hell il get on if I do have to pay an overpayment back!!
I didnt think that the wtc people were able to stop your payments fully, I thought they would have to take a percentage of your money...are they realy allowed to take it all away? if that happened to me I would never be able to survive and I really dont know what id do.

nonono_3

i thought i would update everyone as this just goes to show what a shambles of a system and what incompetant people we have working for the tax credits!!
my life has gone from bad to worse, after the initial paperwork was sent to the hmrc i had a phone call from a lady who yes was very nice but told me that the details that they had on file did not tally up with the information i had provided to her...as you can imagine i was confused but the extent to their error is colossal!!!!!
i moved from working full time and paying childcare costs of £125 a week quite far away over 30 miles and changed all my info via the claim pack as soon as my address, my job and my childcare details changed (which obviously was all together) i contacted them and they said they had not had my claim pack back but i could update them over the phone and they would make the adjustments. this was done and my money changed.
however the lady has said that the employes details are correct my address is correct apart from a name of the house but the childcare names are wrong and the amounts are totally diff. my childcare provider had never been changed from my previous one and the amount i had been getting was approx £227 to much every month....now this is where i am confused as all the info was done together as in changed, why the heck would i work 20 minutes from where i live but still take my daughter to the original childminder some 35 miles away!! I made sure i got the new childminders details including her reg number and gave them everything together!!
The officer arranged a time and date and said she would call me to go through my information on the phone, this took place and after 35 minutes the info was given as in where i live, who with, my income, my daughter, her father my ex (including his new address), if i received maintenance (which i dont and never will) i had to move due to violence so i certainly wont be pursuing that and i explained, everything was gone through with her and she said i would get a copy of the notes, sign and return and i would hear from her re the new payments and any overpayment but a fine may be applied, as id made full cooperation that would be on my side but she said it could be anything from 300-3000!!!
The notes arrived and in the letter attached she has said she feels I WAS NEGLIGABLE in not updating my information!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am in shock as everything was done and due to their continuous errors i am going to be penalised!!! They were sent off dec 16th but i have still not heard anything back...i am getting so worried and my health is getting worse by the day...panic attacks dont come close now. I have worked out the overpayment i think from the information she has given me and i believe it wil be £2724 and any so called penalty!! well here lies my problem, 1 i have not done anything wrong but due to someone elses error i am being penalised and potentially fined!! and 2 if the award is dropped by the amount above i literally will be £20 a month over my direct debits that have to paid such as rent, food, petrol, insurances, gas, elec, phone, dog ins, car breakdown and insurance, school dinners, credit card debt, childcare, there will be nothing for, birthdays, christmas, clothes, daughters extra tuition, after school activities, car problems etc etc those with children wil know what i mean so how am i meant to be able to pay the money back if i literally dont have it!! is there anything that they will do for me like let me pay back a tiny amount a week if i have any, i am so concerned i really dont know what to do..the only possible thing i can think of is ask my mom for some money out of my daughters savings account she has done for her when shes 18 which i think is about £1500 my god what a mother i will be then!!!
I am also concerned re the comment about myself being negligable, does that mean they are saying i have commited fraud? i have always been a worrier and am now panicking they will take me to court, prison even, i really dont feel like my life is my own at the moment and i have NO WHERE to go!!
has anybody else had anything like this happen to them or are there any people out there that deal with kind of situtaion professionaly?
i realy would appreciate your help and advise.
thankyou

bestpud

I would get along to the CAB asap. They are generally very helpful with tax credits. Take as much info as you have along with you.

Good luck

frankie1star

nonono, go to your MP, I have been fighting the WTC claim of overpayment for two years now, my MP intervened and wrote to someone on my behalf, and I think they are still looking into it. Everytime I get a letter claiming I have been overpaid I send them a copy of my MP's letter which he wrote two years ago, writing to some Executive, who was supposed to be dealing with, I hear nothing for a little while. Please try not to worry, if you have done nothing wrong and its their incompetance, then it will come out in the wash

dmg24

Hi nonono,

Sorry to hear this is still going on ...

It seems very unfair that you are being penalised for their mistake. TBH as it has been going on for so long I would ask your MP to step in and take up the case on your behalf. Also, either through your MP or by yourself, ask for the call recordings for each time that you have contacted them. This will prove that you gave the correct information.

Good luck ... keep us updated x

jay1jay

nonono. Please don't worry too much over this. The chance of a fine is very small, and it you are still receiving wtc, they might be able to take the overpayment back from you from your payment each week. If not, you can arrange to pay monthly. If you cannot afford the repayments they ask for - tell them and they might adjust them. I don't think you risk jail etc at this stage. Just co-operate as much as you can.

System

nonono you need to make a "Subject access request" NOW and specify clearly that you want copies of all telephone calls you have had with TCO. They record the calls and so should be able to provide a copy of the call you made when you gave them your changes in circumstance.

When you get them you can then dispute the overpayment and any fine. You might still have to pay any overpayment back but you could point out that your only failure was not noticing on the award noticce that they only changed half the information you provided during your call.

Also get on to Citizens advice or your MP too.

nonono_3

well....i finally spoke to the investigation officer again, she has gone through all my info and has said i owe just over 5 thousand pounds!!!!! she said that because i cooperated so much etc etc that there will be no penalrt added to the amount but they are dropping my onthly amount by £360 to cover the over payment...so previously after paying all my direct debits (no niceties or going etc) i had £20 a month left over now i am going to be in a £340 a month minus, the woman said she has now closed the investigation and i have to wait to hear from the tax credit people re my new award, when i get this ring the number on there they will means test me and try to compramise with the payment...i cant see how its going to work or in fact how im going to live now but i dont think ive got any more fight left in me....i take 3 steps forward and 3000 backwards, ill keep you all updated though...god damn i hate the tax credit system!!