Tax Credits Investigation Letter ( Worried sick)

[worriedso]

I received a Investigation letter on Friday saying that they had conducted a credit search on my property and found my ex partner living there, I am not going to lie, he has been living here on and off and most of his mail comes here ( my son has bad behavial problems and I struggle to cope)

I am so worried whats going to happen, A: how am I going to pay back all the money B:If they stop my money how am I going to afford child care, if I can't pay child care I can't work

I am worried sick, have had sleepless nights ( i have had to go to the drs) and just feel awful. I have contcated an Independant advice service and waiting for them to call back, I tried to call CAB they advised me that they in-undated with problems like mine and wouldn't be able to sepak to me for anything up to 72 hours.)

 

 

I know I have bought this on myself as I should have notified them, but didn't. Does anyone have any advice they can give me??

 

I am thinking should I write them a letter as I think I will go to peices on the phone :sad:

 

Thanks in advance xx

[worriedso]

I would be so greatful for any advise.

[jowster]

I would be so greatful for any advise.

 

Hi - lots of advice and help on forum at netmums in the coffeehouse section (from page 3),under tax credits review team letter!

 

good luck - this is happening to all single claimants with financial associations countrywide

[gildo]

Hi worriedso,

How are things going for you now? It takes a while for them to return your calls and i totally understand how you are feeling right now as i felt the same way. I am still waiting to hear back. try to get an appt with CAB as i doubt HMRC will be in touch with you any time soon. I went to CAB and they drafted me a letter, which i tweaked a little and posted on Friday recorded delivery. I'm sure when i receive the dreaded fone call i will be in pieces again but it seems its best if you're honest and willing to work with them. Let us know how you are?

[stardust1]

Hi

How are you getting on?

 

Its clear on the information they send you with the forms that you MUST inform them within one month of someone moving in. You might find that they will back date it to when he moved in and you will have to pay back any overpayment. They may also look at any other benefits you have been receiving and back date those too.

 

Best thing to do to avoid circumstances like this it to honest and tell them of any changes straight away. The heart ache, sleepless nights and not eating are just not worth it.

[stardust1]

Also to add they will start up a new claim once you have sent of a rapid return form which verifies your exact circumstances. They are not allowed to put you into hardship but they will expect you to pay back what you owe over months or years.

[ECB49]

Sorry to put more worry onto you but even though you may give them a date he moved back in with you, unless you can prove he has been at another address up until the date you give them, and it needs to be a bill or bank statement etc, your claim will be stopped and you will be made to pay the years they are looking into back!!! I know because it has just happened to me, god knows how I will be able to do it, but as they say they cant take what I havent got!!!!! Just waiting now for the demand for payment then hopefully I will be able to sort some type of payment plan, even though I have done an income/expenditure form and I am -£77 per month for what I need to live on and pay my bills

[gildo]

Hey ECB49 i still havent heard back from them. Seems things are a bit grim with you right now and i know very soon i'm gonna be in the same boat. Hopefully there will be something good on the horizon for all of us who are in this situation. As you might remember, my husband is going through a court case at the minute and the judge lost all our paperwork for legal aid and we had to resubmit everything. If we dont get legal aid that's even more expenditure for us and i dunno what we will do. Do you remember how many weeks it was from they first sent you the letter until you finally got speaking to them. My letter said i'd to ring by the 8th March!!

[ECB49]

Hi gildo - it was just over 3 weeks when i rec'd 2nd letter telling me they had tried to ring me, so now claim has stopped and now waiting on demand letter. Lets hope you sort out ur legal aid, you dont need that hanging over you as well

[gildo]

Jeez they certainly are making me sweat aren't they! Guess Easter set them back as well. the longer things go on though the more i worry that i'm in massive trouble. My letter admitted that my husband moved back in with me in 2010 but as we aren't a couple this is why i didn't see the point in making a joint claim. I mean i've no clue how long my husband will remain living with me as he has a tendency to be flattered by the attention of much younger women!! lol.

[ECB49]

gildo bless ya, you made me laugh then why not pluck up the courage and give them a ring, the lady I spoke to was called Joan and was really lovely, fully understood the situation we are in but its out of her hands really, i felt if she could have helped in anyway she would have

[gildo]

lol perhaps i should ring but you know how difficult it is to pluck up the courage! You know you're in deep doodoo and you kinda wish it would just go away! Notice, by the way, i didn't say he was flattered by much younger"better looking" women ... coz the two i met couldn't have made up a decent looking woman between them! Anyway, just hope when the phone call comes I get someone who's understanding and helpful.

[besssmart2001]

Hi all exactly the same thing happened to me, ad to send my evidence in by feb14th, sent them ex's tenancy agreement and letters from work at his new address but because he owns the family home and we have an experian connection from 2004 tax credits deemed us a couple!!! Unbelievable!!

 

Anyway I received my decision this week so I've waited a full 2 months for their decision!! So now my tax credits will be cancelled and myself and 3 children will be living on £140 a week part time wages!! This should be fun!!! NOT!!!

 

Good luck to the rest of you, I have a feeling you will need it!!

[gildo]

Hey besssmart2001 it seems as if we are all fooked eh? Can you not appeal their decision? £140 a week is never gonna be enough for you and your 3 children! I dont know about you but my shopping bill is nearly that every week! So you waited 2 months for a decision eh ... perhaps it will be the same for me then as the deadline (8th March) is long gone now. I would say my husband and I have an experian connection for many years also and i'm sure i will have to pay back a large amount which will then have to be incorporated into the debt consolidation plan I'm already paying. Ah well no point in arguing with them as they seem to have our lives wrapped up neatly into little boxes, even though most of us couldn't fit the complications of our lives into a palatial mansion!

[besssmart2001]

Hi Gildo well when I mentioned appealing I was told that I could do that but if I did they would look to take the overpayment back to when I started claiming in 2006 (which was when we split)!!! I can't offer any more evidence than I have already given so tbh what's the point of appealing??? I will end up owing them about £36,000 instead of the £12,000 for the last 2 years!!

 

They really are a law unto themselves!!!

 

I can't claim as a couple as my ex and I are most definitely not together, and his new partner would go spare if we did!! He has however said that he will try and help me a bit more now as can't believe the outcome of this!!! And I have very good parents so I guess I will be ok!! I'm probably luckier than most in that I will get help from my family until i can get a full time job and totally support myself, but really they shouldn't have to do this!!

 

But on the bright side look at the money the government have saved by stopping my claim!!!! B@$*%

[gildo]

Dear God they really are ruthless aren't they! I bet those on much higher incomes and those who are living by "ill gotten gains" aren't suffering in this manner. It definitely seems they are targeting all of us who never knew we needed to treat our ex's so heartlessly in order to claim benefits that were rightfully ours. It annoys me that there are those out there who know how to [problem] the benefits system left, right and centre and are never penalised and never seem to have to live in poverty!

[gildo]

Hi everyone i just thought i'd give you an up-date on my HMRC investigation. I received a letter from them (no phone call) confirming that they consider me and my husband to be a couple from April 2010 as there is no other proof to say that we weren't a couple! Fair enough. My award will now be stopped and they will be sending me another letter with regard to what i have to do next, i.e i'm sure that means pay back the overpayment. Anyway, to be honest i'm glad i've heard from them even though its not gonna be a happy outcome for me. Feels as if i can kinda get on with life now until the next instalment! Anyone any ideas as to what the next letter might say? im reckoning it will be proof of earnings to see if me and my husband are entitled to make a joint claim (which i doubt) and a breakdown of all expenditure to see how much we can afford to pay back.

[jacaouaj]

I am also going through the same thing at the moment, My husband is Moroccan and he came to UK in 2007, we werent able to claim for him in the first 2 years. He couldnt find work so moved out of our old home. Last year we went through an enquiry and they were satisfied with it. My husband moved into a new house in October last year, and in January this year I decided we would make another go of it and moved in with him. I called tax credits and went through a new joint application, but nothing changed and tbh I didnt contact them again. So therefore my claim has still been treated as single, I now have got another letter from the investigation team, asking me who is (my husbands name) they have evidence of him at my old address and to confirm if he has moved with me to new address. I have to respond by 11th June with all bank details etc, I know that what I have done is wrong I should have called them back when nothing was changed. I also know that our claim will most probably stop, I am so worried, someone told me I could go to prison for this. I dont know how we will manage at all when it stops. Not to mention the overpayments. Or I dread to think prison (the affect this would have with my child, my work, family) (I know I have brought this on myself) We have no proof he didnt live with me in the old house, as when he moved out he was of no fixed abode and mostly was back home in Morocco. So I know we are doomed. I cant sleep, feel sick, I would like to know how long is it before they stop the money going into the bank, as I dont know how I am going to manage financially (our outgoings are already more than our incomings and that is now whilst we are receiving them), I wish tbh I could just disappear ,