The system doesn't update until 1st Sept. This can cause a gap in payments. This is not an error, it's just the way their system works. Tax credits is a yearly entitlement any money missed one week is spread through the rest of the payments for the year.

That seems very unusual. Do you still have the letter? If so could you post what it says? Is it from HMRC or a debt collector?

Who told you this? Was it in a letter? On the helpline?

You cannot be made to repay any more than 50% of the overpayment. This is detailed on page 15-16 of the COP26 http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/leaflets/cop26.pdf

As above. If you are no longer together then you should be claiming tax credits as a single person. Have you informed tax credits of the separation? However this will not resolve the overpayment situation. Where did tax credits get the information of this extra £20,000? Was there a compliance investigation? Did the tax office inform them?

The purpose of the renewal is not only to check your current entitlement but to also check what has already been paid was paid correctly. However, not everyone has to physically complete the renewal. In some cases this year the automatically renew your claim using the 2013/14 income figures your employer provided to HMRC (via RTI). Your own renewal form would explain what was required of you. If you have a renewal that was "reply required" and you didn't complete it then all payments since April will be overpaid. Again this will be explain on the renewal you received. I would suggest you find your renewal and see what type you had and then call or write to them ASAP and inform them of your changes.

You have to call within 1 month to avoid a penalty. However this does not stop an overpayment from occurring. The system is calculated to the day the change happened. You could include this argument in any dispute you make.

No I don't work for them (thank god). I did not say you were dishonest. I asked a simple question to establish what the position of your claim was before marriage. If you had already been living together before the marriage then your marriage would not have affected your claim. When you reported the change your single claim would have been stopped. You would then have been overpaid for around 4 weeks. If the overpayment is more than this then there must be another reason. They cannot take the overpayment from your single claim back from your new joint claim as it was not your new partners debt. Although I have read there are plans to change this. I have made no comments regarding your child benefit. I have only commented on tax credits. The issue with your child's education status has nothing to do with the OP into your overpayment. You stated this was simply due to the delay in notifying them of your marriage. As for their letters, I have read many people on this forum (and others) complaining about them. They don't seem interested in changing this. I have asked you questions to try and establish what exactly has happened in your case hence asking about the award letter when you reported the change and what date your joint claim was started. If you had answered the questions I may have been able to offer more advice. You asked what to do if your mandatory reconsideration was declined. I have explained there is a dispute process and provided you with a link that explains it in more detail. However given that you seem to only want to argue or have someone agree with you I see no reason to help further. Good luck.

There is no 20 week rule from going from school to uni. The 20 week rule is for a child leaving school and registering with an approving body such as connexions or careers service. If a child is moving from school to uni then payments stop from 31st August. http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/manuals/tctmanual/TCTM02230.htm I don't see why the bank holiday is relevant. The bank holiday was 2 days (with them being open a non bank holiday in between) and it took you nearly 4 weeks to call? You did not qualify for it after 30th March as you were no longer single. That is why you have been overpaid. What you should have done was to ask for your joint claim to be backdated. This can be done for one month from the date they receive your claim rather than it starting from the date you reported it. When you called to report the change initially, you would have been sent and award notice confirming the claim has ended. This would have told you only there was any overpayment. Did you get this award? And if so did it detail any overpayment?

If the change happened on 30/03/13 and you reported it on 26/04/14 then that's more than just a couple of days. Anything paid as a single person from when you got married to when you reported it would correctly be classed as an overpayment. I assume you weren't living together before you got married? Did you reapply as a couple? And if so what date was this claim started from (will show on awards notice) They are open on Good Friday and Easter Monday (they only close Sundays, Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Years Day). I don't believe a mandatory consideration would be the route to do down. There is a dispute process for overpayments (simple case of filling out a form stating why you do not feel you made any error). There is further info on their COP26 http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/leaflets/cop26.pdf

Do you have an NHS exemption certificate from tax credits?

Even if you don't claim tax credits now, they can still pursue you for the debt. They could deduct this from any future benefits or can change your tax code and recover it via your wages (if working, receiving pension, taxable benefits etc). The only thing they cannot do is take you to court over the debt. The dispute process has changed and you now need to dispute within 3 months of the final decision being made. It is unlikely they will accept any further dispute now.

The first £30,000 of any genuine redundancy payment is non-taxable. However things like holiday pay etc are taxable. http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/manuals/tctmanual/TCTM04111.htm How much did you receive and what was the payment made up of? If the overpayment is correct then once you receive the notice to pay letter it provides you with a contact number to call to discuss repaying in instalments, normally over 12 months but can be longer depending on circumstances.

Have you considered any work you could do as self employed?

But your wife is employed so I don't see how that would apply in your case as it's a joint debt so given she does have an income then there is a means to recover the debt. http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/manuals/dmbmanual/DMBM555090.htm

Being in receipt of tax credits currently will not stop then from recovering the overpayment. However normally when you have an ongoing claim they will reduce your award to recover the overpayment at either 10%, 25% or 100% depending on the level of your award. Have you actually established the reason for the overpayments? You mentioned that you do not have the records from the periods in question. They can issue copies of all awards notices from that time. This can be done by phone. You can also submit a subject access request for copies of all calls made, forms submitted etc

What was the reason for the overpayment?

Are you aware of why they didn't pay your tax? Did they deduct it from you but not pay it over? Or have they not deducted it? If not why not? What about your NI?

Info here - http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/thelibrary/tax-paye/employer-errors-deduction-paye.pdf

FYI - I've replied to your thread on the other forum.

Is it possible that the letter was sent before the most recent payment was received?

The timescale for renewals is at least 8 weeks (sometimes for if getting checked by compliance). New awards will be sent after it processes and if any changes to payments this will be on the award notice.

The initial claim is based on the previous year income as tax credits is based on your previous year income unless the current year decreases by £2500 or increases by £5000. Once processed you can call and give this years estimate.

So you know most of them?

Do you know every helpline staff member? I doubt it so don't call them idiots. Not all managers are even trained in the area they work in so speaking to one doesn't necessarily mean you'll get better help.