Got letter stating over payment to us of working families child tax credit ...have 3 months to question it or pay by Oct 6th 2014. Are there any letters / forms that can help with this on the site please.

Has your Child Benefit or Child Tax Credit stopped because you have a child who has turned 16? These benefits usually stop on 31 August after a child turns 16, but if your child is in full-time approved education or training, you can still claim for them until they are 19, or in some cases 20. Changes introduced this year mean that Child Tax Credit will also stop automatically when you child turns 18 or 19, unless you tell HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) that they are in approved education or training. Approved education or training can include GCSEs, A/AS levels, Scottish Highers, national diplomas and NVQs up to level 3, as well as apprenticeships or traineeships. You can find information about what counts as approved education or training on the GOV.UK website at www.gov.uk. The education must be non-advanced, so studying for a degree at university doesn’t count. A young person must be accepted onto an approved course or training before their 19th birthday to be eligible. You can tell HMRC if your child is eligible in the following ways: by phoning 0300 200 3100 by post to Child Tax Credits, Tax Credits Office, Preston, PR1 4AT, and to Child Benefit Office, PO Box 1, Newcastle Upon Tyne, NE88 1AA. You’ll need to write to each office separately if you’re claiming both online at https://online.hmrc.gov.uk for Child Benefit only. It’s also important to let HMRC know if a young person leaves approved education or training, for instance to start work or because their course has ended. If you don’t report a change, you could build up an overpayment, which you will have to pay back. You could also be given a penalty for failing to report a change, or even prosecuted for benefit fraud if you are found to have deliberately claimed money you were not entitled to. http://www.adviceguide.org.uk/england/news/whats_new_sept14_child_benefit_and_child_tax_credit_for_16-19_year_olds.htm

From another forum but really worth repeating here. No one wants to take responsibility for the appalling cover-up of the sexual abuse of kids. On Sky News this morning the big boss of Doctor Barnardo's, Javed Khan, refused point blank to condemn anyone or say if anyone should either resign or be disciplined. In my eyes, this refusal makes him as guilty of the crimes as those that did it, covered it up or shoved it under the carpet. Perhaps it's he who should resign. I do agree with what some of the papers are saying that Political Correctness played a big part in the inaction or failure to act. How many of us are scared out of our wits to say anything against an immigrant or any foreigner for that matter, as we will automatically be classed as racist. It's time this political correctness cr@p ended and we were able to call a spade a spade. Link

If you are on twitter, facebook etc please pass this link on to get as many signatures as possible. https://www.change.org/en-GB/petitions/david-cameron-and-theresa-may-establish-a-national-inquiry-into-allegations-of-organised-child-abuse Hopefully if enough people get behind this, the government will agree to hold some form of inquiry, perhaps on the same basis as the recent one on Hillsborough, which was independent and not Judge led.

Hi CAG this is my first post. My wife received a letter today regarding £532 which the Tax credits says she is due them because of an overpayment. When we first got together in 2011 I signed on to JSA which we did as a joint claim etc, everything above board and we specifically asked if we needed to tell CTC about it and they said that no, the info goes on the computer and all agencies get to know so that was fine. 5 weeks later we get a letter from CTC saying that there had been a change in circumstances and that we needed to get in touch to continue to receive entitlement, so we called immediately and spoke to a nice chap who took the details and told us that they'd received info from JCP about the new claim etc but needed us to call, which we now had done, everything hunky dory. Now we are asked to repay the money that we got for my wife's children during those 5 weeks. Its not even as if with the new circumstances we weren't entitled. We haven't had a penny that we weren't entitled to, just that we were late (by a week since they give you 4 weeks leeway) in telling them about a change that didn't even affect our entitlement. While on the phone today the irksome character on the other end of the phone cheerfully informed my wife that she also has over £2k overpayment that was made back in 2006 when she was with her ex, which she had no idea about and they have never before attempted to collect although again there had been no periods where she/her ex had earned over £50k to preclude them from receiving CTC. Is there any course of action we can take to try to get someone with a sense of reason so see that we are not guilty of wrong doing and haven't taken any money to which we were not entitled? Or is it just a big money grabbing austerity con?

hi all im looking for some advice for friend of mine her ex partner ( been split up for 4 years) has made an application for child maintenance payments against her despite him not having the child. she herself does not have the child the child was placed with her father (granddad) about 4 years ago but this s not the first time he has done something like this when the child was first placed the granddad he claimed child tax credit despite the child living with him the granddad has a residence order for the child but the ex keeps making these applications for child maintenance . after speaking to the CSA yesterday they said as the letter was addressed to the mother she is the one that has to send in all the relevant documents to show the child does not live with her and is with the grandfather which they can do that's not the problem. but the ex still chooses to keep on doing this the csa said they will investigate it again once all the documentation has been sent i but she will have to start paying him CSA as from next month even though the child doe snot live with him is there anything they can do legally to either stop him doing this or get him prosecuted ? any help would be gratefully appreciated thanks guys

Hi firstly thanks for accepting me to the forum i came here today on another matter which i'll post about, but this one is because i found out yesterday via a call to income support that Child Benefit hasnt been paid for my 8 months old child despite me sending in the form and birth certificate 2 weeks after his birth. Have just come off the phone to Child benefit to be told i have to buy a new birth certificate and send in again with form but that they will only backdate 3 months?! Anyone else know if this is correct or have experience of this as surely they should pay for the 8 months he's been alive and return his certificate. Many thyanks in advance

Me and my husband have been receiving tax credits since 2009 without a problem. They have had my day of birth out by 1 day ever since we started to claim, we have informed them on a number of occasions but nothing has been done about it. Today we received an Amended tax notification which stated we would be over paid by £19. My husband called them and its because they have stopped our claim?? Apparantly, they had sent a form out to me back in January so i could send my birth certificate to them to prove my real date of birth. We never received this so obviously have not sent it back. Now we will not be getting child tax credits until we send my birth certificate off (another form has been sent out apparantly). Our problem is, we were due it tomorrow (4th April) and it is our only source of income this week. We have 2 children aged 2 and 5 and no one we can borrow money off. What can we do, if anything? Also, when it is reinstated, will it be back dated to when they stopped it?

My 5 year old as been accessed for adhd we.ve seen the doctor this week who as said it looks like he does have it but can.t be formely diagnoised until he gets the school psycologist report but the school is just dragging their feet i asked months ago for this the doctor has now written to the school to speed it up. The school and i had to fill a qyestionare out schools score was worse than mine, he.s getting behind at school cause he finds it hard to concontrate and keep still he.s forever getting into trouble and being sent to the headmaster along with another boy who as just been told he also as adhd them to bind really well together. My son is also sensitive to some foods aswell i notice cause some make him very more hyper just like some medications. So would i need him to be diagnoised first or should i just go ahead and see what happens mind time they get round to going through the forms he.d probably be diagnoised with it.thanks in advance

Hi I have a mortgage I have had for 7 years. I am on a SVR rate of 4% and am concerned that the bank of England base rate will soon rise thus increasing my payments so want to get into a fixed deal. I work and earn around 10k plus I receive working/child tax credits of £680 a month and DLA for my disabled daughter (only year left on this award though so doubtful they will take this into account) I also receive the standard child benefit and £100 a month maintenance which I can prove. I need to borrow 130k although my property is worth about 185k. Does anyone know if this is possible and if banks will take these kinds of benefits into consideration? I have a good credit report and have never defaulted on a mortgage payment in 7 years. Any advice would be great Thanks

asking on behalf of the wife whos at the end of her tether theres one child in her class (5 years old) who has autism now my daughter has autism but this child is at the deep end of the spectrum it has now got to the point where my wife is thinking of asking for a doctors note this childs kicking, biting, swearing, name calling, tried to tear off the wifes clothing now if it happens to the teacher or the head it goes in a record of behaviour, for some reason this doesnt go down if it happens to a TA any advice gratefull receaved

Hi all,just to let everyone know,csa no longer exists it is now cms as of 25 Nov 2013 . if you have shared care ie 50/50 you do not have to pay ANY maintenance for any child. check out netmums. handy phone num 08009880988

Hi, My husband and his ex agreed with the court during their divorce 15 years ago that he would pay for his 3 children with her so much per month with the understanding that payments would stop once each child would reach 18 or the end of full time education, whichever came first. Every payment (and then some) has been made without fail since. The 2 eldest are over 20 with their own families now so we stopped paying for them a while ago. The youngest moved in with her sister when she turned 16 in September 2012. Since then we have been paying her sister the money instead of her mother. Youngest daughter is now in 6th form and maybe pregnant. The sister is also receiving child benefit and child tax credits for the youngest daughter. I don't want to be the wicked stepmother here but we are really struggling ourselves and have just found out that the sister has more income from her total benefits than me and my husbands combined wages. I thought I read somewhere that once a child over 16 moves out of home of their own accord then payments don't have to continue. Can anyone help with a bit of advice please? Thank you and Happy New Year

Hi all Wonder if anyone can help Our son was in education up to april 2013 then he signed up with ENTRUST (approved education support scheme in staffordshire) until he started college in september. HMRC sent us one of those random check things to say we had to prove that he was/is in education or an "approved body such as connections or a local authority support service" We returned a letter from entrust to confirm that he was and still is with them as an education support service and a letter from college to say that he is with them and has been since 2 sept. We have today received a letter from HMRC to say that he no longer qualifies for the period 6th april to 1 sept. at first we thought that they were saying that Entrust were not an approved body but after ringing them they are saying that we did not inform them within the 3 month period that he had left education and gone into this education support (Entrust). We thought that as he was still in the education system i.e. in education support rather than a school that he was still in the education system and therefore did not need to inform them. I am going to send in an appeal stating the above but wonder if anyone else has suffered a similar thing and how their appeal went. EDIT - If I had received something that I would not otherwise be entitled to, I could understand this. But as he was in an approved scheme we would have been entitled to it anyway

H i everyone, I made a single claim for child tax credits and after 3 weeks I recieved a reply back from Ryscar B&C COMPLIANCE OPERATIONS. Anyway they asked me to send in some proofs....bank statements, council tax, utility etc. I sent these in straight away with a cover note explaining what I was sending and why: BANK STATEMENTS - I said I could not provide them with bank statements as there was no point as my bank account (single) was being cancelled by the bank, because im in debt and also by the time they recieved my reply it would have happened.........I included the letter from the bank for proof. UTILITY BILLS - Again I said I coudnt send these as for 1, G&E are pre-pay meters, but also I had started a switch over with a new company and also into my name - I sent proof of this. COUNCIL TAX BILL - I told them that I didnt have a bill as I had just applied for council tax support in my name and also they required the same proofs tax credits did (no photocopies)....but that as i needed tax credits sorted, they were more important........I informed then that my single claim for council tax could still be checked with the council to prove I had applied. MORTGAGE STATEMENTS - These I supplied and are in both mine and my exs name.......but its a mortgage, we have recently split, neither can afford to buy the other out so what do they expect. Also we'd both prefer not to sell as its at least one thing we are hoping to leave the kids. Also in the cover note I explained how it was impossible to cope as at the moment I am only recieving £143 every 2 weeks to support myself and 2 kids......I can barely afford food. Anyway got my reply back today telling me she has made her decision not to accept my claim because she has been unable to confirm my single person status.................and thats that. Apparently a letter will follow shortly explaining her decision and if I can appeal.........I cannot wait for shortly. Can anyone give me some advice on how to word a good appeal, or should I just contact them and say I dont agree, Im desperate and need to do it ASAP. Also I am going to have links with my ex, we were together 12 years until he decided to start sleeping with his dirty b**ch co-worker that is. Please peeps some good advice needed.....on best way forward and best advice wording I can send back....and could I have done more with the things I sent? Its what they asked for so I thought it would be enough. Sorry to go on and thanks.

Hi, can anyone give me some advise please. My daughter in law was involved in a car accident which resulted in injury claims for her and my two granddaughters, ages 7 and 14. The claims have been agreed and my daughter in law has been paid out for her injuries. They have now received a letter from Hampton Hughes stating that the injury claims have been agreed for the two girls. The amounts will be paid into the court office and the girls can claim them when they are 18. This is 4 years for one and 11 years for the other. The money while it is held will not gain any interest while it is held. Is there anyway they can claim this sooner or can it be put into their own child trust fund where it will earn interest as it sits there. Is this set in stone? Hampton Hughes said they can challenge this but they want my daughter in law to send them £5000 to cover the cost of any legal action?? Any advise would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

Hi after a bit of help.. I have just received a letter from the tax credits, to say they have checked in to my income for 2011-2012 and it's wrong After looking I can see what I have done, I had four jobs last year (two were the same company but for some reason they changed the plc to manged services When I filed my income in I missed one of my employers off , so it seems ( my top line on my p60 says £10,993 ( which I have given them) but under it to the top it says in all employment £14,995 The letter isn't asking to do anything but I'm so scared and feel so stupid I have made this error Please someone help xxx

Hi, i applied for housing benefit and was told i was living £41 under the limit that the law says i need to live on and i should apply for income support as im a carer. I went to CAB who told me tax credits were not paying me what i was due, so i rang them today and was told i was overpaid and they were taking it back bit by bit every week from my tax credits. I had no idea i was overpaid, i had no letter or phone call informing me off the situation so it came as a shock to be told this today, what i want to know is are they allowed to make me struggle like this by making me live on less than the law says i have too live on?. Any advice would be so much appreciated, Tony

Hi all. A month ago, me and a mate were caught trying to use a child's ticket despite being 17. We booked tickets in advance and I'd normally go for an adults ticket to save the potential hassle but I was needing some cash at the time so bought a child's ticket to save some money, what a terrible lack of foresight that has turned out to be. It was on a CrossCountry service between Birmingham and Doncaster when we got caught and as soon as the conductor started to doubt our age we owned up immediately. We then proceeded to get our cards out in anticipation of being able to upgrade to an adult ticket in a similar way as you can when upgrading an off peak ticket. The conductor told us this wasn't an option and took some details whilst assuring us there was no need to get British Transport Police involved, something that we'd seen happen with some fare evaders before. He then told us that the company would be in touch soon and advised us to pay the penalty as it wasn't worth the court appearance which we obviously realised anyway. Today I had a letter come through from CrossCountry to say that the case has been handed over to Transport Investigation Limited and they will be in contact after investigation. Now having read about it on the internet, I have become more worried of a court summon. I thought it was just going to be an expensive lesson and a large penalty would arrive on my doorstep, never did I think we could get taken straight to court. I have read on the CrossCountry website that they don't tend to prosecute people under 17.5 years which I was by a week but I guess that is clutching at straws a bit. Obviously I'd pay the hefty penalty if it came through because I don't want a criminal record for such a silly offence which could hamper uni and job applications. So the question is, being a first time offender, will I get a fine which I'll have to pay or is it conceivable that we could get summoned to appear in front of a magistrate for this and end up with a criminal record? Oh and I have now bought a railcard, it's a wonderful little thing and something I wish I'd invested in much sooner but we learn from our mistakes.

Posting this on behalf of a friend of the family, so sorry if the details are a bit hazy ... They claim child tax credits; apparently you need to renew the claim each year. So, he rang up to renew, and was told that he needed to supply them with his exact earnings for the year. He'd been on Job Seekers Allowance for part of the year, so explained this, and told them he'd contact the Job Centre to get the exact figure (and would be in touch again once he had it). It took something like 4 months before the Job Centre finally provided the information. He phoned them at least a dozen times and was given various excuses. On one occasion he was told that they now had the information and would post it off to him the next morning - it didn't arrive until 6 weeks later. During this time, the Child Tax Credit people told him that he'd missed the deadline for renewing. On top of that, they are now saying that he owes them money (I'm not quite sure why - overpayment perhaps?) He explained that the hold-up had been with the Job Centre, and this time was told that exact earnings figures weren't needed - an estimate would have been enough (and of course, they denied having said that exact figures were needed). He's been told that he has the right to appeal against the decision blah blah blah, and is being sent an appeal form. Is this the best way forward do you think? Or should he be looking at something more proactive and aggressive?

I am paying CSA around £430 a month out of my wages to my son from a previous relationship. He is now 17 and I dont have any contact with him. He has displayed on social networking sites that he is working and flashing his cash. Friends of mine who speak and know him have also told me this information. I have reported it to the CSA and have been told that because his Mum is claiming child benefit I still have to pay. Any ideas on what to do?

Hi guys My little lads just caught chicken poxs from nursery, my misses can get the time off tomorrow but Friday she has important meetings all day, my question is if i phoned my HR and told them i wasnt coming in on Friday as my little lads contracted chicken poxs can they discipline me for having the day off to care for him as nursery wont allow him to attend

Hi What can I do please? My ex has been awarded child benefit and tax credits for our youngest son. He has clearly told the relevant bodies that he has our son more often than he has. I usually have him more especially when my ex is away on holiday with his new girlfriend. He refuses to share the money he receives and does not and has never paid a penny towards the children. Our 14 yr old daughter lives with me full time and doesn't want to see her father. Our 18 year old son lives between here and his girlfriend and doesn't spend much time with his father, especially now as his father is demanding £40 or our son's £55 job seekers allowance. My ex is self employed and has told me that if I approach CSA he "can hide his money" - he has his own business so why has he been awarded the child benefit and tax credits when he doesn't need them. I am struggling every week with my new partner who is paying for children that aren't his, although he doesn't mind, their own father should be paying toward them. What can I do? I have already appealed to the child benefit and tax credits people and got nowhere? Any help would be appreciated. Regards

Hi, i would like to fill you in on what happened 15 years ago. Our 17 month old daughter was diagnosed with Neuroblastoma cancer, we were informed she had a 5% chance of survival . We went to see the manager at Lloyds TSB to inform them of our circumstances and to ask that no phone calls were to be made to us; all correspondence was to be in writing. The bank ignored our request and rang us on numerous occasions and just 5 minutes after finding out our daughter had only a week to live; Sadly she passed on at 21 months old. The bank carried on ringing and demanding payments ( we have the letter from 15 years ago from the bank admitting this ). We feel that all the payments made so far were under distress. There have been 5 different collection agencies contacting us, each one we have had to explain our situation again which distressed us more. We have been asking Lloyds TSB for the past 10 years for the original agreement, Westcott took over the collection in November 2012 and we stated that we did not nor ever owed them the money that they requested and that all payments were under duress. We requested the original documents once again, Westcott replied that their client Lloyds TSB doesn't have any documents or copies Westcott sent us a letter saying that as far as they were concerned the matter was finished and that we must continue paying. On the 20th of November we replied stating they had no right to request money without the original agreements and as far as we were concerned the matter was still in dispute until Lloyds TSB contacted us; Still awaiting a reply. We received a letter from Morecroft collection agency in June 2013 stating that their client had registered a default against my Credit score without any warning. We contacted the ombudsman as Lloyds TSB refused to discuss the whole matter; The Ombudsman then contacted Lloyds and told them they must resolve all issues. Lloyds TSB phoned up i have asked for no more phone calls and to have all correspondence in writing, it is very difficult to discuss the matter to every different person that rings as it is very distressful for me and my partner. They decided to ring up today ignoring all my requests yet again, I asked to speak to a manager; she then insisted that she was the manager. When i asked to speak to somebody higher than herself she wanted to know exactly why; i had to go through all the stress of explaining what happened 15 years ago. I then asked to speak to her superior as i had no confidence with her dealing with my complaint. She refused to let me speak to anybody higher than herself. I contacted the Ombudsman to inform them of Lloyds TSB were refusing me contact with the manager; Can the bank refuse me access to their superior ? Can they put my default on my credit record while under dispute and without a true copy of the original agreement ? How do i obtain any information they hold on me/my account ? I originally opened up a complaint in 1998 about the way i was treated, I had to deadlock the complaint due to the mental distress it was causing me. The ombudsman awarded me £250 which i refused as the complaint was not complete. Please advise me on what to do

Can anybody help please! Last year I went to stay with ,y mom for a few months whilst my house was being renovated. I informed hmrc of the change of address. When I did my renewal this year for tax credits, they had my original address on file still, but my correspondence went to my moms address. My mom returned the post to sender without my knowledge, otherwise I wouldve known that there was a mistake. Anyway last week I noticed my child benefit hadnt gone into my bank (i have it paid weekly) So I called them and was told that another dept had informed them that they had returned post, I presumed that mustve been tax credits, and my payments had been suspended, I explained the situation. Anyway I called Tax credits straight away and they said yes those payments had too been suspended, but as I had called and given my original addres those paayment would be reinsated. True to their word my Tax credits went in my vbank on the due day. But still no child benefit has been paid in. Does anybody know how long that takes to be reinstated and why one dept can get it reinstated straight away, but he other cant? I called today and the woman at the child benefit office was very abrupt and said there is no time scale and it had been sent to head office. My daughter is 12 years old so its not like shes nearly 16 or anything!!