I phoned tax credits just after 8 this morning and yes I have now have had 2 one off payments, clarified what payments I would receiving up until the end of this tax year. Must say the lady I spoke to was wonderful and couldnt have been more helpful. Was down at the council offices when they opened at 8.45, with all detaiils of the extra tax credit payments and future payments I am due to receive. As usual I was fearing the worst thinking that I would have more overpayment to pay back (only now recovering from an IUC). Oh how I was wrong!!!! Any one off payments for tax credits are NOT taken into account for housing benefit. The man I dealt with was so understanding and went through everything in detail with me, checked the the tax credits online and the figures agreed with what I had put in my letter. Phew!!!! He sat and calculated what housing benefit I am due from now onwards and my housing benefit is going to increase by £70 per month!!! Im glad I had the day off today to get this sorted and I would only have worried constantly all weekend, think Im going to have a chill out weekend xx

I think I am going to give tax credits a call in the morning and see whats going on, the last thing I want is another hb overpayment!!

Hi Is anyone else getting random tax credits being paid at the moment? I received an extra payment in January but my february payment had been reduced, today I find another payment has gone in!! Im confused

How much detail did you put in your email??

Although mine has now been sorted and I have the overpayment to pay back, I have spent nearly all weekend stressing, what if something was to go wrong again etc etc (thats me being very pessimistic). Cant live my life like this and have been on the phone to my parents tonight who have offered to pay my overpayment off for me.... As for losing weight, I have lost a stone in the past month which I couldnt afford to lose in the first place as I then recovering from pleurisy.

I am so glad you asked that question. I have been thinking of coming off housing benefit after all the stress I have been through the last few weeks. It will be a bit of a struggle but for the sake of £93 a month, there will be no more stress and today I have given up smoking so that will help.....

Hi I would like to say thank you to all who have helped me via this forum over the last few traumatic weeks. Went for my interview under caution 4th Feb, was told it would take up to 6 months before I heard anything, looked like I was going to get a caution or a penalty. Had a message on my phone on my return from work on Monday(7th) to say could I call my investegator. It was late so I called him tuesday, I was informed that they are going to give me a warning, received the letter this morning - case closed. What a relief. So to all of you worrying like mad, Im not going to say dont worry cos you will but there is hope. Thank you once again xx

It went ok. The investigator came and had a chat with me in the waiting area before I went in for the taped interview and told me not to worry everything will be ok. I had my friend in with me and he asked questions about my claim and that I had had an increase in income and was my responsibility to inform them straight away, which I had totally forgot to do. After the interview he said that I had been totally honest and held my hands up. It will take up to 6 months to get the outcome, He is 95% sure I will just get a caution, if not a 30% penalty. His last words to me were, go away eat a decent meal, get some sleep and move on. After the interview I should have been less stressed and upset, but I had to come home ring the vet and take my cat to be put down, total devastation. I dont ever want another day like February 4th 2011 again xx

Thank you for your replies, they have helped immensely. How long will it be before I find out what they are going to do with me, will it be weeks, months??

thank you leemack, really appreciate your response.. Just had a work colleague on the phone and have been told off, Im fearing the worst, ie I will go to jail, lose my job etc etc and she said that Im completely throwing this out of the water, I have made a genuine mistake and that Im beating myself up so much over it. Dont know what I would do without my frends and forums like this x

I wish it was an odd £20, its a lot more than that and it was back pay for some work I had done earlier in the year. They have told me I have been overpaid £775 but then when going through paperwork, I realised I hadnt informed them of the increase in income for a couple of months, so working on the basis of what they told me I had been over paid, the figure has come out about £1200 (my working out). I have all wage slips, bank statements and tax credit awards to take with me on Friday (4th). Ive got nothing to hide, completely understand that they need to interview me about this. It wasnt until I sent in payslips in December for review and the received the letter for overpayment did I even think about it

I work for the prison service which just makes everything so much worse, work have been notified by myself and are being very supportive. Have done some calculations not that Im clever at working out their workings and it looks like the overpayment might be in the region of £1200.

Thank you. Things now seem worse, been going through my payslips from the last year and there are a couple with extra income and I completely forgot to inform them. Now they definitely will wipe the floor with me. Hardly slept last night, had a dreadful day today, can things get any worse. x

Thank you for your reply honeybee. Dont know how much more stress I can deal with though. Im a single mum work hard to support my family, studying to try and better myself, had a cancer scare last year, mum was very ill in hospital and now suffers severe depression. Apologies for the whinging but I am so scared..

I received a letter re housing benefit last week to say I have been overpaid. Couple of days later I receive another to say they want to interview me under caution to find out why I have been overpaid. I phoned the council as I was in a complete state, they said it is because the figure is over a certain amount and needs to be questioned. I have racked my brains and the only thing I can come up with is that my tax code changed during the year, so if they use net wage and not gross wage (as I thought they did), this would be the reason why. I am totally distraught, my job will rest on the outcome and then inturn I will lose the roof over my head as I wont be able to afford it. Im not eating or sleeping, Im ratty with the kids and cant stop crying and still have until the 4th Feb before I attend the interview. I just dont know how I am going to get through...