Tax Credits - Wrong Bank Account

[Jayney69]

Need some advice. HMRC decided we were now eligible for Working Tax Credits which is the first time since 2007. On the phone they said "are your bank details the same?" and I said yes, assuming that they were the account they use every month to pay my Child Tax Credit into. However they paid into an account that Santander closed in 2011.

 

Anyway, HMRC sent me an award notice for the year with 3 one-off payments, on 24/25/26 November and then normal 4 weekly payments starting in December. They've sent the payments to the closed Santander account.

 

HMRC now say that it was accepted by the BACS account, Santander say they haven't got it because it's a closed account.

 

Any ideas how long it should take to bounce back to them and be reissued? HMRC now say that they will do a new award notice but that I should still get the payments (they total over £2000 and I really need them).

[blondebubbles]

If the account is closed (not overdrawn) then the payments should be sent back by the bank. Once TC get them back they will re-issue to the correct account providing this has now been updated correctly.

[BankFodder]

I think that the asnwer may be in here - http://www.google.fr/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CCMQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.legislation.gov.uk%2Fuksi%2F2009%2F209%2Fpdfs%2Fuksi_20090209_en.pdf&ei=zPl2VNGfLaTA7AawrYHIAQ&usg=AFQjCNGpVQPGtC71pqFVxa5cmw8-gQNaMQ&sig2=75ezXyZmldxqAFyQeW6KOw&bvm=bv.80642063,d.ZGU&cad=rja part 6.

I can't remember where and you will have to trawl through yourself I'm afraid.

Please post up what you find. - I might be mistaken

[Jayney69]

Okay, I've done some digging.

 

Tax Credits have not received anything back. They've very helpfully sent me the trace sheets relating to the payments in.

 

Santander say that they sold my old bank account on to (deep joy) Robinson Way. On closure of the account the account was overdrawn bu just over £600 which was due to bank charges (which they refused to cancel, which is why we closed the account). They say on this basis they can not deal with it and I should contact Robinson Way.

 

I've just spoken to Robinson Way. They were quite evasive and asked me to send them a copy of the trace sheets. They asked me if I was going to pay the outstanding debt with the money (that I think they have anyway). I have told them that I would prefer to come to some arrangement with them on a settlement figure. I need that money, I'm under Papworth for heart and lung transplant assessment, and this is really the last thing I need to be dealing with.

[antone]

This doesn't make sense, and I don't think I would accept this from Santander. If the money was sent to the closed bank account then the fact that said account has been transferred to a debt collector is neither here nor there.

[Jayney69]

Think I'll give them till next week to sort themselves out and then go straight to the Ombudsman.

[caro]

Think I'll give them till next week to sort themselves out and then go straight to the Ombudsman.

 

You can only go to the ombudsman if you have followed the complaints procedure which gives Santander 8 weeks or until you have a final written response.

 

Looking at this link, I must say that I think HMRC have been rather lax in not checking your account details more thoroughly, so you should press them to follow this up.

 

http://www.fasterpayments.org.uk/consumers/misdirected-payments

 

I wouldn't bother about Robinson Way. It's nothing to do with them. I'd say they're trying it on. I don't believe Santander would have sent it to them.