About to hand myself in....can't live with the guit, T/C advise please :(

[oakly]

Hi, please be kind I'm new here and in a very low place.

I have been claiming about £7000 too much in childcare payments from tax credits. My daughter did attened the nursery and still does but at no where near the cost I've been claiming for about a year.I never meant it to go this far and now I'm panacking. I kep putting it off a week, then another week then months I just kept thinking I could really need the money for that and have just kept doing it.....So I called tax credits yesterday to tell them I needed to end my daughters childcare and she finished yesterday which is a lie but I needed to put an end to the mess I've got myslf into

I want to own up and of course repay but I'm so scared they'll prosecute, or I'll get a prison sentance or wont be able to see my kid's Do they ever take people children off them for this kind of thing....I'm petrified my kid's are both under 5 and are my world, they mean everything to me, I am a good mum just made a very silly decision on this matter!!

 

So I was going to say I would try to repay as much as I could, hoping familoy can help me and I can repay family rather than HMRC.

 

So if I call to confess what will happen? It all happened this tax year if that makes a difference? I've not slept all night, I look at my baby boy and burst out crying. I went on materity leave in sept and we were struggling so I never told them to change my childcare...

 

Do u think I should wait till monday and speak to CAB....will they speak and explain to tax credits for me?

 

Please help xxxx

Edited March 5, 2011 by oakly
spelling errors

[supermam]

Ah no, i feel for you, i really do! Everyone makes mistakes and the fact that you want to put it right speaks volumes. I think speaking to CAB on monday morning and getting their advice is the best thing you can do. I'm sorry i can't advise you any further but good luck and i really hope it all works out for you. xx

[honeybee13]

Hello there and welcome to CAG. We're not here to judge and you know what you've done. You're already suffering pretty badly right now.

 

I think you're doing the right thing and have been brave to reach this decision. It has to be the best thing.

 

You're not the only one in this position, have a read around the forum and see how other people have handled this. It's hard to say what might happen to you, but prison is a last resort. CAB seems like a good place to start and I believe they have links with the tax people. I expect they'll have dealt with this before.

 

Come back to us whenever you need help or support, we'll get you through this.

 

HB x

[rebel11]

Hi oak

 

Welcome to CAG

 

The first thing to do is calm down. What you need is for the situation to be managed. Clearly they will want any money that has been over claimed back, plus penalties on top. Do you qualify for Legal Aid?

[oakly]

im not sure how you qualify for legal aid? we were actually entitled to have h/b and council tax credit but nevr applied as I was wrongly claiming this money....we should of got around £400 a month for both so I was even more stupid not to sot this out earlier.....what kind of penalties are there? Im just worried about being parted from my kid's......

 

thanks for all ur advise on this

[jadeybags]

Oakly I feel so sorry for you right now I dont know what the first thing is you need to do. But I do know that my ex sis in law was overpaid tax credits of about 3k, & she just had to pay it back. She actually took out a credit card to pay it back. That was the last I heard about it from the kids dad, I know nothing else happened, but how she has managed to pay the credit card back i'm not sure.

I dont know if the fact you weren't claiming housing benefit that you would have been entitled to would affect it. Might be some sort of reasoning if it got to the court stage which hopefully it would'nt.

If it's any consolation, tax credits seem to not be too bad, it's the dwp that want their pound of flesh for targets reasons. Tax seems to have taken a very back seat where the countrys debt is concerned these days.

But if you want to see if you qualify for legal aid have a look on this site. I dont know how accurate it is though, but worth a see...

http://www.communitylegaladvice.org.uk/en/legalaid/

 

Big hugs xxxxx

[rebel11]

Hi oakly

 

Heres some info on Penalties, at the moment you don't know whats going to happen, so use your energy to manage the situation.

 

http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/taxcredits/things-go-wrong/complaints-appeals/penalties.htm

[Nystagmite]

CAB might be able to talk to tax credits on your behalf - if that's what you feel you want.

[flumps1976]

How many children do you have? If you were on maternity leave and it was an older child in childcare then as you are still employed whilst on maternity leave you are still entitled to recive the help with childcare if that makes sense. You may not have been overpaid by as much as you think!

[oakly]

just to update you I went to CAB on monday. I got all my figures correct for childcare and explained to them what I had done and I wanted to put it right. The cab advisor called tax credits explained everything, they said my overpayment was £5100 not £7000 and because I called off my own back and wasn investigated or prompted by them it went in my favour massivly. I am paying off half the money next week and the rest in a payment plan, I am so relieved to have come clean and put this right. I feel I can relax and enjoy my children without thinking someone might come and take them and put me behind bar's!! Anyone who is claiming too much tax credits, call now before they find you, will be so much easier for you and the overpayment will just keep mounting up if not. The lady told the cab advisor they apprechiate honesty and understand why people do it as it has been a tough few years with the recession and as tax credits ask for no paper proof it kind of is an invitation to fraud....well my name is clean and I feel a milion times better, unfortunately my bank balance wont but I'd rather it be that way, at least my bank balance doesn't have 2 children to look after and sleepless nights to deal with lol

Edited March 9, 2011 by oakly

[sj01]

Well done and good luck x

[honeybee13]

Well, that's great news. I'm pleased for you that you can move on with your life now. I hope you'll stay around on the forum and help other people in the same boat as you, if you can.

 

HB x

[Life-Goes-On]

Good news

[rebel11]

Excellent news.

[Nystagmite]

Excellent news.

[blowing bubbles]

A big thank you for being one of the few who actually post their outcome on the forum - really helps others xxx