Tax credits and unregistered care

[nic76]

i am so glad to have found this site !! i too have been really worried about my tax credits renewal, i renewed by phone on 10th June and still not heard ! have rang 3 times and been told its on the system and being processed !!! If my claim was being investigated would they tell me does anyone know ??? there has been an issue with the childcare element of my claim which is making me ill with worry over it all !!!

[backofbeyond]

Welcome to the gang lol.

 

Did u get a childcare review letter? What was the issue with your childcare?

 

If you've read back over our posts you'll see we've all been told we're being "processed"! Looks like jw and claire's have both been sorted although they haven't had their award notices x

[nic76]

Hi, i am new to this board so not sure if I am in the right place for advice !

last summer my little boy had to go into summer club as my nan who usually has him was having chemotherapy.... the summer club cancelled the day before it was due to start so I had to find alternative for him, which wasnt ofsted registered.....

when i originally called tax credits i told them it was for the 6 weeks only and they said it would stop automatically after this time. the first payment was 726 then it went down to 540, I then received a letter from housing benefit sayin I had been overpaid and had to pay back 600 pound plus my full rent due to my tax credits increase. I thought that they had jsut readjusted the amount for the remaining year.... it now appears they have carried on paying the childcare.... I haven't told them as too scared, mainly as I didnt use the ofsted registered childcare, even though the one i had to send him to was the same cost !!! Now my renewal has taken 9weeks and still I haven't heard from them !!!

 

does anyone know what is likely to happen ??? it is 50/50 on fault i think and also I haven't financially gained as what I have been given extra from tax credits I have lost in housing benefit !! I only work part time and I am worried that an overpayment will leave me struggling really badly that I will not be able to afford my rent !!!

 

any advice greatly appreciated !!x

[nic76]

Well its quite a long story ! I claimed for the summer holidays and was told it would automatically stop after 6 weeks the first payment was 700 odd then went down to 500 odd a month, that includes my normal working and child tax credits...... but the summer club cancelled on me the day before it was due to start so i put him into another one, roughly same price but not ofsted registered ! I didnt tell them, my nan was on chemo and she has had my little boy since he was 6 months old so i was in a right panic !!! It turns out it hasnt automatically stopped !!!!!!!!!!!! and i am too scared to tell them, i thought i would renew then call and say something !!! but now the renewal is taking so long i dont htink i have slept in 9 weeks !!! i know i am partly to blame, but I havent financially gained as I was getting housing benefit and they stopped that due to increase in tax credits and i am paying them back 50 pound a month!

originally i thought that the reason the money dropped down in sept last year as they had removed the childcare element and readjusted the amount til the end of the year !!!!!

just dont know what to do !!! i have phoned but not been told its being investigated just being processed and I have seen other threads saying they have been asked for childcare receipts or been told its being checked !!!!! I dont really know how much longer i can carry on with this worry !!! Like the others on here I get home from work and open the door so quickly to check if postman has been !!!!!

[backofbeyond]

No-one is here to judge you so relax.

 

Did u receive a letter asking you for contracts and reciepts etc?

 

Lots of people who are in your situation have just had an overpayment and it is being deducted at an affordable rate each week. Hmrc rarely prosecute and are more interested in just getting the money back.

 

Please don't worry x

[nic76]

thank you so much !!! i have driven my sister mad keep calling her about it !!! I have never done anything wrong and always worked since he was born and now I am close to losing it i swear !!!

 

I have had no contact with them at all. I done my renewal on June 10th and since then heard nothing, I have called 3 times and just been told it is on the system and being processed, im too worried to call again in case they think i must be hiding something, which I am ! But also as i am already paying back housing benefit i am not sure how i would cope with another overpayment !

[backofbeyond]

Generally tax credits take 10% (25% for higher earners) for overpayment. If you haven't had a letter then I think you are worrying over nothing but once you get your award I would make sure that the childcare element has been removed.

 

Housing benefit should only be taking what you can afford so it may be worth appealling if you feel it's put you in hardship.

 

Please don't worry. This forum is great support and has stopped me from going mad!!!!!! I am still waiting for my renewal but am TRYING not to worry x

[nic76]

That is the first thing I am going to do once i have received it !!! Then I can reclaim housing benefit, I used to get half my rent paid now I am paying full rent !!! I just want it all sorted and then get back to plodding along as i used to !!!! its so hard with tax credits as you have to do everythign over the phone or in writing !! i wish i could see someone to explain it all !!!!! I keep saying to myself no news is good news !!!! my sister says I am worrying over nothing too but as my renewal is usually done in a couple of weeks to wait months is doing my head in now !!!!! So glad i found this site, reading some of the other stories has put my mind at rest a bit !! least i know i will have some money coming in still, i had visions of me working 2 or 3 jobs just to survive !!!

[flumps1976]

I have never been asked to provide receipts or contracts for Tax Credits, I had to supply the OFSTED registration reference which they checked against a regiser of childcare providers I believe.

They can only help with childcare costs if the childcare privder is registered.

If you have been overpaid tax credits they can reduce you current award by 25%.

[backofbeyond]

I meant that quite a few people had received letters asking for confirmation of childcare I.e contracts reciepts etc.

 

I thought it was either 10% or 25% dependent on if you received more than the basic family element? I thought I remembered that from one of erikas posts?

[flumps1976]

Sorry should have made it clear if there is no reduction in your tax credit award due to income they will reduce payments by 10% if there is a reduction due to income then it will be the 25%, so yes they can reduce by up to 25%