Tax Credits overpayment? Read the following

[legakisd]

I've had enough of them to put it mildly. You phone them up, no result, you write to them, no reply, you phone them up for a formal complaint, they are busy! That is the Tax Credits system I'm afraid and I'm sure I'm not the only one to think so!
Inland Revenue say they overpaid me and now they're caliming the money back.
I know the reason why that mistake took place and it is not my fault. I'm currently planning to go public as what I have discovered will cause another fiasco for them, trust me.
I need to get in touch with people who first claimed between April 2004 and April 2005 like I did. If you have kept copies of your form I'd like to get in touch and discuss. If not, it is your right to write to their Data Protection officer and ask to see all the information they hold about you, including all correspondence and older forms, even cds with telephone conversations, only those recorded of course.
In the form they sent me they requested financial details for fiscal year 2001 to 2002 (printing error?). The form was right as the covering page was for the right year.
What they did then was to use those figures and consider them for the year they should have requested instead (2003 to 2004).
How long do you think a reasonable person would take to acknowledge that it was their fault... exactly right, no one I have spoken with on the phone can get it! Trust me I have spoken with a lot of people and have written a few letters.
Now, the team leaders who handle formal complaints over the phone are too busy dealing with the disks loss fiasco that cannot come to the phone.
My case is now being dealt with a reporter who is doing the necessary digging.
Please, please please, if you had or even if you think you've had the same experience just reply to this topic and we can make arrangement to get in touch.
Many thanks

[shywazz]

I'll dig my old forms and declarations out, think i started claiming working tax creds that year, but wil confirm once dug em out.

[make them aktiv runners]

I need to get in touch with people who first claimed between April 2004 and April 2005 like I did. If you have kept copies of your form I'd like to get in touch and discuss. If not, it is your right to write to their Data Protection officer and ask to see all the information they hold about you, including all correspondence and older forms, even cds with telephone conversations, only those recorded of course.
In the form they sent me they requested financial details for fiscal year 2001 to 2002 (printing error?). The form was right as the covering page was for the right year.
What they did then was to use those figures and consider them for the year they should have requested instead (2003 to 2004).

The 04/05 award would initially be assessed on 03/04 income. After the end of the tax year they would then have re-assessed on the following basis:
1) If 04/05 income is less than £2500 higher than 03/04 then done on 03/04 earnings.
If 04/05 income more than £2500 higher than 03/04, it is assessed on 04/05 income less £2500.

All the booklets/leaflets I had explained the above. As they send a few out each year, the error on the one form may not be enough.

Now, the team leaders who handle formal complaints over the phone are too busy dealing with the disks loss fiasco that cannot come to the phone.

Are you sure of the above? It was Child Benefit not Tax Credits who lost disks. Each have different staff.

[legakisd]

Originally Posted by make them aktiv runners

Are you sure of the above? It was Child Benefit not Tax Credits who lost disks. Each have different staff.

Yes, positive.

[legakisd]

Originally Posted by make them aktiv runners

The 04/05 award would initially be assessed on 03/04 income. After the end of the tax year they would then have re-assessed .

That is spot on, however in my form which they send me headlined 04-05 they requested 01-02 financial details.

[shywazz]

I'm such a good lad, i've kept all my paperwork relating to tax creds i get, for the period 2004/2005 award there took my earnings for 2003/2004 into account. Any reward that i might get, is based on the year befores earnings and amended as per any changes notified to them.
I have a mountain of paperwork from the tax cred offices, why there send out 3 or more of the same letter beats me.

If you gave 2001/02 income for year 2003/4 then ur earnings would have been less than you were getting, and would have been amended upon the next assessment, failing that, when you got ur reward notice, you noticed the mistake, why didnt you contact them with the correct years figures?

[legakisd]

Originally Posted by shywazz

If you gave 2001/02 income for year 2003/4 then ur earnings would have been less than you were getting, and would have been amended upon the next assessment, failing that, when you got ur reward notice, you noticed the mistake, why didnt you contact them with the correct years figures?

Of course I did contact them and amended the details. This is not my problem. I keep asking them why they requested financial information for the wrong year in the first place but as mentioned before they keep ignoring me and will not disclose that information. I reckon they sent loads of wrong forms to loads of people which then had to be corrected by applicants over the phone. Where does the responsibility of the public service begin when customers have to waste time and money (0845 number remember) to rectify someone else's fault when applicants fill in forms correctly in the first place. They should at least have the decency to get back and explain.

[Alphageek]

Originally Posted by legakisd

(0845 number remember)

Look for a geographic number for them on SayNoTo0870