Thanks Erika

I know I seem to need a lot of advice at the minute but I am completely new to benefits and haven't got a clue so please bear with me We have council tax arrears of £314.49 and a liability order has been granted, this is for last years council tax bill. The liability order was granted in June and we sent off our means form to them. A letter has arrived today basically stating that as we are receiving benefits (IB JSA) they have applied to have deductions taken from our benefits to clear the balance. Which is fair enough BUT it doesn't state how much will be deducted. Is there a limit to how much they can take?

We've had no sanctions or anything so should by the sounds of it be straight forward then - just keeping fingers crossed for my husbands job!! With regards to HB/CTB - will I in effect get 6 weeks run on then? I.e. 4 weeks extension and then the 2 weeks in arrears that they pay it? Just wondering as we private rent and when when we first claimed it we were told it was paid fortnightly in arrears - because we didn't want to fall into arrears with our landlord we used what little money we had to keep it up to date. C

Lets face it the whole tax credit system has been laughable from the beginning - it has been left wide open for fraud from both organised gangs and joe public. I think that the new government are trying to improve the system until the universal credit comes in in 2013. The fact that we are under so much scrutiny when we haven't been before is making people feel like criminals even if they haven't actually done anything wrong. I know that from now on (no matter how frustrating trying to get through on the phone is) I will be telephoning with my renewals and any change of circumstances - at least then I know that I have given them all the information there and then rather than wondering if my letter has been a) lost in the post of b) lost in the black hole of HMRC. I really wouldn't panic now JW11 at least you know it has been dealt with and nothing she said caused you concern. I think the "declaration" department will just be the standard team that deals with renewals?

Well post has been and once again nothing to report i just don't know what to think. My eldest daughter is 7 in a couple of weeks and in all my years of claiming don't think they've ever stressed me out as much as this lol

Have you actually called them to make sure they have received your renewal? If you have and you know they have it then I don't think there is anything we can do other than wait - I mean it's not like they've stopped our payments whilst they are investigating is it? 10 weeks is ridiculous but I suppose if they have put a new system in place then there are bound to be some "teething" problems and delays. Mine hasn't actually been that long compared to yours, I sent mine recorded delivery on 05 July and when my husband called last Weds he was told it had been received and is being "processed". Not sure if it is being "processed" in the normal channels or whether it is by a specialist team - they didn't specify. I am trying not to worry as at the end of the day what will be will be and at least we are still receiving payments in the meantime. I take on onboard your point about whilst they are checking a further overpayment could build up but really I would rather it that way then them stop it whilst they are because I don't know about you but I depend on my weekly tax credits. If you felt the overpayment was unjust then you can always appeal once you receive your award notice.

I kind of wish i'd persisted though and phoned now lol

Claire please stop stressing; think we are both guilty of letting our minds run away with us and we are making the situation appear worse than it actually is. Deep down you know that you haven't done anything wrong so if they are doing more stringent checks then so what? They are still paying us whilst they are doing these checks aren't they? Ok so we both *may* have an overpayment but from what you have said it is certainly not gonna be mega bucks is it? Plus they will just take it back at a rate per week - they are not allowed to leave you in poverty. I honestly think they are just checking the postal renewals as everyone who has telephoned has had no issue! x

LMFAO to be honest it is a good job my husband signs on for us all as I would not have the patience with them. When he comes home and tells me it is as if they speak to him like he is a lower class citizen and they are very patronising!

Hi JW11 - not that I wish it on anyone but I am glad that there are other people going through this with me. I wonder if it is just the people who have sent their declaration off by post that are having this delay? As haven't heard a single person complaining say they "rang" up X amount of weeks ago? Just a thought. My post doesn't come while around lunch time so once again playing the waiting game

My husband was told that he could get the CSCS card paid for if he could prove (on letterheaded paper) that he would have a job if he got the card. That to me is just daft! He has approx 13 years experience being a floor layer both commercially and domestically so its not as if he is just wasting the JCP time.

Claire, I know what you mean I am really starting to panic and to dread Monday coming (I was going to order my food shopping to come on Monday and then paniced in case my tax credits didn't go in lol).

Well nothing in the post today

Thanks Flumps 1976 for the in-depth clarification, that really helps. Seriously_Silky - the JCP in our area do not seem interested in helping in the slightest, whether that is because we do not know the system or what? My husband has asked and asked about help for the CSCS card and they have said there is nothing available apart from a training course which is over 16 hours a wk so that means he wouldn't receive his JSA!!

You could email your MP if you can get access to the internet? Other than that you'll have to have to ring and ask to speak to someone in a managerial position and hope they can advise you. It seems really daft to me!

Get onto your MP, 4/5 months is a hell of a long time to be without tax credits especially as its obviously a clerical error! I would ring every minute of everyday until they sorted it.

Mmmm sounds a bit fishy doesn't it?!?!?! I have just started volunteering at my daughters school so had one done for free and it came really quick, I want to retrain to be a Teaching Assistant so guessed experience would be way to go. Oh but whilst I am having a moan about job centre - a college brochure came through today and there is a teaching assistant course so I called and as my husband claims JSA for me and my daughters I cannot get funding for it so I have to pay! I am just hoping this job works out and then I can stick 2 fingers up at the job centre lol.

Just keeping on with the CRB thing - I didn't think you could apply for one yourself? I thought it had to be a potential employer that applied for you?

So in the meantime you are not getting tax credit payments that are due to you? Or have I got confused with you thread You say that you noticed the account details were wrong on the provisional award, does it not show the full wrong account number for you to give them? If not then I would ring them and hope you get someone with an ounce of common sense and if you don't ask for a manager and hope that they have. Other than that I suppose only option is to write to them and explain the situation?

Oh don't we know it - my husband has had the same trouble as he needed a CSCS card and public liability insurance for a job - do you think we got help?!?!?! NO! To be quite honest though I don't know how the work shy get away with it, I really don't as when my husband signs on it is like the spanish inquisition and I wouldn't mind but he writes down all of the jobs he has applied for etc and he always follows them up. It is as if the Job centre only want to prove they are doing their job with the people who are actually looking for work - it seems (to me anyway!) that the workshy just get left to their own devices and the money keeps rolling in.

Shame that doesn't work the other way round

Do you know what that wouldn't surprise me in the slightest the lady told my husband that it was £100 on Monday but direct.gov website says thats for single people or couples without children, £250 is meant to be for families. God knows, am sure we will find out. Wouldn't expect to get any help from them, I mean they didn't help us in January when we were absolutely stoney broke it appears in this country if you've never claimed benefits you don't get the help! Sorry for the little rant lol

p.s. just realised I may have worried you when I said my payments plummeted due to an overpayment in January. This was from 09/10 and there is some guideline that if its after 2 years they cannot take it from your future payments (thats what I got told) so they only had Jan-April to take the money back hence the reason my payments dropped.

It went in early because of a bank holiday in Scotland yesterday, I had mine on Friday and I worried (nothing new there then) until I looked on the calender. Surely it doesn't take over a week for them to actually process them?!?!?!?!?!?!?

My husband has been claiming income-based job seekers allowance for just over 6 months for the family (me, my husband & 2 children). It looks as though he *may* (fingers crossed) have a job offer - I have read up about the "job grant" and it says on the direct.gov website that we should get £250 and it says it gets paid automatically. My questions are:- 1) He signs on every other Monday - does it matter when he signs off? I.e. should he sign on on a Monday and then sign off for example on the Tuesday or does he sign on and sign off at the same time (worrying about losing out on money etc as he won't have had a wage). 2) Does it actually get paid automatically as every benefit we've had we seem to have had to beg for? How long does it take to come through / be processed? Sorry if these seem like silly questions but prior to January this year we have never claimed JSA etc