tax credit overpayments new report published

Dammam

Dammam wrote:

They stopped our payments about 3 months ago - then paid £1200 into our account in 'arrears'.We then had 2 letters from the Inland Revenue (I think) saying WE owed £3100 and to pay it back immediately! Phoned them up and they eventually said that the online form had been filled in incorrectly as a new applicant rather than an update - fair enough, never happened before but mistakes happen. Not sure why they'd give me money and then take it back plus another £1900.They said to call them back the following week so they could try to sort it out.
Well, you know how it is, next week becomes next month etc. Eventually spent the money as we had had our weekly payment stopped. Now I have time to revisit this, I'll call them up again. To be honest, it has been such a pain in the backside that I wonder if it was ever worth claiming. The one year I really needed the money they didn't give me anything due to what I had earned the previous year before my redundancy. The following year I had too much etc.

We've been phoning weekly about this, but the operator tells us the case has been escalated and we can do nothing but wait.
Then, when I got into work this morning there was a message on my phone to call Revenue & Customs - I thought they had resloved it all!

Called back to be told that we owe £3400 and they required payment. I explained that we have had no payments since October 2005 and that we were CLAIMING money from that time. She told me that I should call the tax credits hotline and ask them to put something on the system for the collections team to see (even though there are apparently a stack of notes about this on the system already). I asked why they couldn't just speak to them themselves, but she said they're different departments and don't interract! Unbelievable.
So I called the hotline and got them, eventually, to put a note on the system - somewhat reluctantly I might add. They also said they were going to send me a dispute form, although I don't actually dispute the overpayment. That said, I dispute the £3400 - a figure that seems to change without reason. Now I guess I sit and wait yet again.

In the meantime I've written to my MP to try and enlist his help.
I just wish I'd never applied for the damned things. I'm fairly pragmatic and laid back about things, but this has got me so stressed it's unbelievable.


Note: Got a very helpful reply from the MPs PA already. Quite a shock to get such prompt attention!

CheeseOnToast

Could someone please advise me.

I owe somewhere in the region of £1500-£2000 in over payments of tax credits.

I accept the liability for the over payment.

However, I haven't received a payment from them now for approximately 1 year, when I have been entitled.

If I now get in touch with them to try and resolve, will they take into account what I would of been entitled to for the last 12/18 months - or will that be null and void as I didn't submit a claim?

Thanks

MissBehaving

Okay, so I am blonde - but here is my 'silly question'. How do i find out who my local MP is??

We owe Tax Credits over £10k for 2003/04 and 2004/05. They only just notified us that we owe all this money. I have sent through a dispute and now we are at the appeal stage. I have also requested transcripts for my phone calls, but they are taken an absolute AGE to come through.

Would love to get my MP involved, purely from the fact that I know I am 100% right about phoning and informing them about changes. We even phoned them several times to query the amount we were getting. 'Dont worry, it is right' and 'wait for your next renewal' were the responses.

So, if anyone has any idea of who or how to find the MP for Ashford Kent, I would be truly grateful.

Fran

Parliament.uk

creamtea_2

Please can any expert let me know how to get a form COP26 my report from ombudsman is very disappointing and recommended by ombudsman to fill in COP26 - help!!!!

Its ok everyone -have found the information - thanks for help!!

CheeseOnToast

CheeseOnToast wrote:

Could someone please advise me.

I owe somewhere in the region of £1500-£2000 in over payments of tax credits.

I accept the liability for the over payment.

However, I haven't received a payment from them now for approximately 1 year, when I have been entitled.

If I now get in touch with them to try and resolve, will they take into account what I would of been entitled to for the last 12/18 months - or will that be null and void as I didn't submit a claim?

Thanks

anyone>?

Fran

I would think they can't take into account something you haven't told them. You could give them a ring and discuss it, if not happy with it you could get advice from CAB or similar and/or put in a complaint.

trixiehotlegs_2

I Can't believe what I'm reading here!!
I got an amended TC award claim form today stopping our payments and saying had to repay £270. Phoned them up & they say I informed them of a family break-up in July! I split from my husband for 1 week!!! I got £41 income support for the week and I didn't tell TC but the local benefits office did. Now, for the sake of 1 week and a measly £41 I'm left with no Tax Credits for goodness knows how long and a bill for £270. They are sending me a new claim form and an appeal form against the overpayment. She said to put I didn't inform them of a breakup. All this will take time I'm sure and how do I pay my direct debits in the meantime? I'll have to cancel them all now and that's even more trouble. How do they get away with this? It's diabolical.

webwitch

I've just received a citation to appear in court on 21st November, the Officer of Revenue and Customs is pursueing a claim of £1017.25 of overpaid child tax credits in 2003-2004. I am ill at the thought of this, I have tried phoning CAB but they are always busy (maybe others in the same boat as me). I have always kept them informed of changes, I sent off a TC846 and never heard anything. I have had letters from different offices, which I have always replied to stating that I had sent in a TC846 and requesting that they explain to me how I was overpaid. I never get answers to my letters, just another demand letter from a different office.
It all started with a demand letter for nearly £4000, so I phoned and was told it was correct. This really bothered me so I phoned back a couple of days later to be told there was a mistake I only owed them £1500, still don't understand how I can owe this money when I always told them of changes. Why didn't they reduce my next years payments? I am now seperated from my husband and just starting to get back on my feet and thinking this was going to be a good christmas and this lands at my door. Has anyone any advice please?

Fran

Can you call in at the CAB rather than try to phone? Take all your paperwork and they will be able to speak to HMRC on your behalf and tell you the best way to proceed with this. Good luck with this.