Help Tax credits letter

[wobbles]

hope someone can help.

i received the following letter this morning from HMRC.

Dear Mrs Wobs

Your tax credits award.

I am writing to you about your tax credit award for the year ended 5 April 2007. You were awarded tax credits at an amount of £14,908.27

I am writing to tell you that I intend to enquire into your award. Each year we enquire into some tax credits awardsto check that they were correct, or because we need further information to understand the figures. We want to make sure you received the correct amount of tax credits. I will let you know if I find something wrong.

My enquiry will check that you have correctly told us your family and personal circumstances and your income for that year.

Please let me have the information shown below by 25th March 2008. Let me know at once if you have difficulty getting this information.

The Disability Living Allwaonce award for Bill & Ben Wobbles for the period 06 April 2006 to 05 April 2007.

The enclosed factsheet explians why we make enquiries and what your rights are. Please read it carefully. You can ring me on the above phone number if you want to discuss anything about my enquiry into your award.

If you have an adviser acting for you plaese show them this letter.

Yours sincerely
C Hatcher
Compliance officer.

Bill and Ben are 2 of my children. I have 4 children in total. I do not work, Hubby is self employed and earns approx £11000 per year.

The Disability Living allowance for both Children expired a few years ago because I never re appiled for it, I rang the Tax Credits helpline at the time and informed them that the DLA had stopped but I dont know the dates.

Can anyone help, what do I do now.
I did ring them. But it now looks like they may have been overpaying me for the 2 children.
I cant afford for them to completey stop my tax credits but could reduce the payments to repay the overpayment.

I havent got a clue what to do now and im panicking

[gizmo111]

First off I would check entitledto to see if it is possible you have been overpaid and if so by how much. Then come back and let us know and we'll see what do to next. Most of all don't panic.

[wobbles]

Ive had a look at that and I might have been getting as much as £70 a week too much.

Thats why Im panicking.

If they stop the overpayments and then want the £70 a week back as well I will be £140 a week down.

Thank you for your quick reply

[JOSH_IOU]

Also do a plan of whats coming in and out if you can. (its never easy as ive learned.) and make sure you have something strong to drink in your hand when you do it.

You can say the repayments will cause you considerable hardship.

[honey5]

i received exactly the same letter as you did, overpayment due to daughters dla stopping (mind bill and ben do sound so much nicer that twit n tw@ which mine are fondly known as ) the negotiations are still ongoing, but i have been assured that they will NOT stop payment (been ongoing since oct and give them their due they havent stopped them) but would require the whole amount to be paid back within 12 months :o cant do that so have to take it higher, so just waiting to see what comes back next time
i also made a call which "they have no recollection" of
honey x

[JOSH_IOU]

Thats why we suggest to send everything in writing recorded delivery.

Its a bit crap really considering you have to pay in the region of £1.04 - £1.34 for first class recorded delivery. (well about as first class as you can get)

[honey5]

I wouldnt have minded at all paying the postage, just thought a quick call would sort it and was assured it would be sorted out, therefore when the new form came i just ticked the box saying no change in personal circumstances as to me there wasnt BUT didnt read it all unfortunately
so hands held up my fault just waiting to see how much and over how long
honey x

[Joa]

wobbles; why don't you visit Welcome to Tax Credit Casualties (TCC) and their forum at Working Family Tax Credits - Powered by ForumCo.com - The Forum Company
I would ask whether all the calls to Tax Credits helpline are logged.
You should also familiarise yourself with this: New code of practice on tax credit overpayment recovery
because they may initially insist on higher repayment amounts that you can afford. Check the chapter entitled Paying back your overpayment HM Revenue & Customs: COP 26 - What happens if we have paid you too much tax credit?

You also may want to call Community Legal Advice and arrange for an adviser to conduct an income maximization session with you to check whether you are claiming all benefits/credits that you are entitled to.
And what about re-applying for DLA? Are the health conditions still exist?

Good luck!

[wobbles]

thank you all for you helpful replies, looks like I have a lot of reading and writing to do. Im going to read up first and then write to them explianing that I did phone them and explain at the time that the DLA had stopped.

The medical conditions still do exsist so I think I will re apply for the DLA however now the children are older they dont need as much care as they did a few years ago so I might not get it, but I can only try.

Does anyone have any idea how to word the letter to them, Im not very good at things like that.

Thank you all again

[wobbles]

Just Bumping to see if anyone can help with the wording for a letter to them. I have to reply before 25th March.

Thanks again

[wobbles]

Hi everyone quick update.

I replied to them with a recorded delivery letter 24th March, stating that i made the phone call to inform them that the DLA for bill and ben had stopped.

I recieved a final tax credits award for 2006-2007 today, I have been overpaid for that year £6033.53.

Also recieved a amended tax credits award for 2007-2008, I have been overpaid upto 5 april 2007 £5660.28
and then from this award 2007-2008 £5774.41
Amount over paid £11434.69

My child tax credit payments are being reduced from £252.00 to £114.69 a week.
Hubbys working tax credits have been reduced for 2 weeks and then return to normal.

It also states "although we calculate that you have already recieved £5572.58 too much tax credit, we will pay you a further £201.83 from now to april 5th 2008. The first figure takes into account everything we have paid you so far. But in case this causes you financial hardship, we will pay you the second amount and collect back any resulting overpayment later on. If you would prefer us to pay less now so that you have less to pay back later. please contact us."

Why cant they explain it more clearly?

Could i appeal against the drop in payments?

[wobbles]

oh i forgot to say none of the above amounts seem to add up they keep saying different amounts

[sandraroff]

does anyone knowabout the cases that have been reported, where if it is proved that overpayments are their fault, you dont have to repay it?? i am sure i read that somewhere, possibly on this site.

[wobbles]

bump

Anyone?