PWorried sick, re:child tax credit

bestpud

dawnm96700 wrote: »

Ive been to CAB and the woman there said that it was silly of me to be using both addresses, and from the tax credit point of view will look like we have been together as a couple. She said the worst that would happen would be that i would have to pay the money back.

I'm not sure she's correct in saying that is the worst possible outcome tbh.

Did she offer you any practical advice at all?

pipkin71

dawnm96700 wrote: »

Ive been to CAB and the woman there said that it was silly of me to be using both addresses, and from the tax credit point of view will look like we have been together as a couple. She said the worst that would happen would be that i would have to pay the money back.

Hi dawn

Were you living with your ex before you split up, or have you always claimed CTC from your parents address?

As you have found out, it wasn't a good idea having mail sent to your ex's house. Have you now taken your name off the council tax?

When you were claiming CTC, did you inform them about the money you receive from your ex? Is that also counted as income and could affect the amount of CTC you receive?

Staying over one or two nights doesn't make you a couple, and there's nothing wrong with remaining friends - infact, in the long run that would benefit your child.

I think the fact you are still tied through a paper trail has led to this, so you need to sort that out. Why do your parents still open your mail?

Another thought, you could get into trouble for applying for credit cards / catalogues and giving false information on your application forms. Knowingly giving a false address is fraud and if the tax people have this info also, you could be in deeper trouble than just having to pay back some money.

Pipkin xxxx

real1314

It's not a "good idea" to use an address you don't live at for any purpose at all.
You say you've applied for credit from "his" address as you wouldn't get it at your parents - that's technically another form of fraud. You have obtained credit that you would otherwise have been refused, by deception.

I still think this is some sort of "oops" thread, if not a troll now. And on the basis that the forum is not here to provide people with a "how to" guide on committing or getting out of an accusation of fraud, my only advice is to come completely clean to each and every organisation that you have given an incorrect address to. Bear in mind that if your parents get HB or CTB, they may also be affected by this.
Do not go to CAB or anyone else and give them half the story in the hope that you can play it both ways.

Eager_Elephant

The worst they can do is prosecute you for fraud, this will involve a court case and if found guilty you will be sentenced whether that is community service or imprisonment.

Sometimes they might just caution you which if they do you will be lucky but given the amount they are more likely to go for the prosecution.

Sorry if this concerns you but you asked about worst case scenario.

EE

shelley_uk

You can stay at his house as often as you like, its down to them to prove you are cohabitating. They will look for things such as financial dependence on each other eg joint bank accountsIts quite common nowadays for divorced/separated couples to share a matrimonial home because of kids and financial status and they can still be treated as separate for benefit purposesBut it will be quicker if you to provide the information in support of your non-cohabitating. As you have your own home then evidence can be provided by way of utility bills showing activity of say Electric?...itemised Phone bills? etc. Letters (bills) delivered to your home with your name only on the account. It just proves that their are two separate homes and therefore not joint applicants

seven-day-weekend

I'm afraid that if I were the Tax Credit person judging this case, to me it would look as though you were trying to have the best of both worlds - i.e. have a partner but still claim as a single person. Especially as your name is on the Council Tax bill.

I'm not saying you have deliberately created this scenario, but imho that is how it would seem to any investigating person.

I think real1234 is correct, remove all 'second' addresses, come clean to everyone and try to show that you have indeed maintained an entirely separate address.

System

dawnm96700 wrote: »

All i want to know is if they can take things further than just repaying the money back to them.

If they decide you are in the wrong they will end your current claim and invite you to make a new joint claim with your ex. They will then send a demand to you for the money they say you weren't entitled to. If you can't pay it back you can ask for "time to pay". I'm not sure if they add penalties because of supposed fraud.

If you want to receive tax credits in future as a loan parent then you need to get your address changed with the bank, council etc.

If you don't want post going to your parents address perhaps you could ask the bank to set you up for internet banking and view your statments online. The Halifax do this and we do not get statements posted to our address - it saves trees apparently

mitchaa

shelley_uk wrote: »

You can stay at his house as often as you like, its down to them to prove you are cohabitating. They will look for things such as financial dependence on each other eg joint bank accountsIts quite common nowadays for divorced/separated couples to share a matrimonial home because of kids and financial status and they can still be treated as separate for benefit purposesBut it will be quicker if you to provide the information in support of your non-cohabitating. As you have your own home then evidence can be provided by way of utility bills showing activity of say Electric?...itemised Phone bills? etc. Letters (bills) delivered to your home with your name only on the account. It just proves that their are two separate homes and therefore not joint applicants

What a lot of rubbish. Are you an HMRC fraud investigator?

Its quite common:rotfl: How on earth would you know this? Any couple i know who have ever split up, SPLIT UP

Also, its not down to them to prove you are a couple, its down to you to prove that you are not.

No way could you say you stayed over 7 days a week and pretend to be single for benefit reasons. This is blatant benefit fraud, pretend yourself that it is not, but single means single in my book.

How many non married couples do you know that have joint bank accounts?? This in effect by your statement means you're single until you get a joint bank account? What a lot of boll*cks I was engaged for 2 yrs, we both had our own bank accounts, we were blatantly a couple as in fiance and fiancee but for benefit purposes reasons we would have been single, Yeah right:rolleyes: Actually some married couples still have single accounts

This is where the benefit system needs a good shake up. Those single mothers who are genuinally single are wrongly stigmatized with the ''benefit scrounger'' label purely because there ae too many ''single'' mums abusing the system.

If you had bothered reading the O.P posts you would find she does not have her own home, her name is on everything at her boyfriends house.

Also, worst case scenario. Criminal record for fraud. This will affect her whole life afterwards, ie applying for a job and then having to go through security clearance, the criminal record would be picked up and she would be refused the job. Emigrating to australia with a future husband, nope, not that either. The shame and the embarrassment being the worst.

All for the sake of stealing money from the working taxpayers.

Fran

***Boardguide comment***

mitchaa wrote: »

This is where the benefit system needs a good shake up.

Hi mitchaa,

Martin's take on the Benefits board is It's about helping people getting their entitlement! Not about Benefits policy!.


dawn,

Re not using parents address I seem to remember something that changed regarding this and that other family members should not be taken into account, people would know on the Debt Free Wanabee board.