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Have i committed benefit fraud??


ChloeLT
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me and my partner moved in together in July 2014 and i have forgotten to let tax credits know to change to a joint claim (Only realised today) my partner works full time and brings home around 1400 a month. Were in loads of debt as it is

 

My anxiety is kicking in overdrive thinking im going to get fined and sent to prison!

 

I havent phoned tax credits yet as im petrafied.

 

any advice would be great

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give them the details so they can calculate and stop the overpayment.

then you can negotiate a repayment plan.

 

by proactivly addressing the situation you massivly reduce prosecution.

 

the longer you leave it however, the worse it will get.

 

now you have found this site maybe we can help with the debts tooo

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The SabreSheep, All information is offered on good faith and based on mine and others experiences. I am not a qualified legal professional and you should always seek legal advice if you are unsure of your position.

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Another helpful bit of advice

 

Do not make a phone call

 

Prepare a draft letter here without personal details.

 

Explain what happened and when and that due to your anxiety you forgot to inform them of a change of cirumstances. You would like to update your corcumstances with them and make an arrangment to pay back any over payments.

 

Send the letter to the correct department recorded delivery.

Keep a copy and also attach proof of posting and receipt.

 

Others here will be able to tell you what to expect and help.

 

For your other debts. you may want to start a new thread so we can help you tackle those.

 

In that thread for each debt you will want to list

 

Original company debt was with.

Rough Amount

Type of Debt - Credit card/overdraft/catalog/loan/utility bill

Which company OWNS the debt now.

When was the account taken out.

What is the state of play with the debt? EG still with original creditor/sold to dca/County court claim issued/ccj obtained.

 

It might seem like a massive mountain to climb BUT you empower yourself by getting the information and start tackling them. Once you have the first under control you WILL begin to feel better about yourself

PLEASE HELP US TO KEEP THIS SITE RUNNING

EVERY POUND DONATED WILL HELP US TO KEEP HELPING OTHERS

 

 

 

 

 

The SabreSheep, All information is offered on good faith and based on mine and others experiences. I am not a qualified legal professional and you should always seek legal advice if you are unsure of your position.

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Sorry I have to disagree with the above. Writing to them can take weeks to deal with and will increase any overpayment due.

 

Calling to report the change is the quickest and easiest way to resolve this. They will end the claim there and then from the date you lived together. An overpayment will be calculated and letter sent to you to confirm.

 

They will go through an eligibility check for a joint claim and if eligible they will send you a form. It is then likely that your overpayment will be recovered from your new claim.

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I agree with blondebubbles in this situation.. telephone them - you can always send a letter directly afterwards with a summary of the call.

Have we helped you ...?         Please Donate button to the Consumer Action Group

Uploading documents to CAG ** Instructions **

Looking for a draft letter? Use the CAG Library

Dealing with Customer Service Departments? - read the CAG Guide first

1: Making a PPI claim ? - Q & A's and spreadsheets for single premium policy - HERE

2: Take back control of your finances - Debt Diaries

3: Feel Bullied by Creditors or Debt Collectors? Read Here

4: Staying Calm About Debt  Read Here

5: Forum rules - These have been updated - Please Read

BCOBS

1: How can BCOBS protect you from your Banks unfair treatment

2: Does your Bank play fair - You can force your Bank to play Fair with you

3: Banking Conduct of Business Regulations - The Hidden Rules

4: BCOBS and Unfair Treatment - Common Examples of Banks Behaving Badly

5: Fair Treatment for Credit Card Holders and Borrowers - COBS

Advice & opinions given by citizenb are personal, are not endorsed by Consumer Action Group or Bank Action Group, and are offered informally, without prejudice & without liability. Your decisions and actions are your own, and should you be in any doubt, you are advised to seek the opinion of a qualified professional.

PLEASE DO NOT ASK ME TO GIVE ADVICE BY PM - IF YOU PROVIDE A LINK TO YOUR THREAD THEN I WILL BE HAPPY TO OFFER ADVICE THERE:D

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Point taken. Do both.

 

I was taking into account ops psycological wellbeing as well. Op can set aside from now all the benefit money coming in.

 

But either way. The letter is proof that op can use to demonstrate they are trying to sort things. So even after phonecall do a letter summarising phonecall

PLEASE HELP US TO KEEP THIS SITE RUNNING

EVERY POUND DONATED WILL HELP US TO KEEP HELPING OTHERS

 

 

 

 

 

The SabreSheep, All information is offered on good faith and based on mine and others experiences. I am not a qualified legal professional and you should always seek legal advice if you are unsure of your position.

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Sabre, I understand your logic and would normally agree that telephoning is not the correct route.. but in this instance and as it is a government debt, then I think dealing with the situation swiftly is the way to go.

Have we helped you ...?         Please Donate button to the Consumer Action Group

Uploading documents to CAG ** Instructions **

Looking for a draft letter? Use the CAG Library

Dealing with Customer Service Departments? - read the CAG Guide first

1: Making a PPI claim ? - Q & A's and spreadsheets for single premium policy - HERE

2: Take back control of your finances - Debt Diaries

3: Feel Bullied by Creditors or Debt Collectors? Read Here

4: Staying Calm About Debt  Read Here

5: Forum rules - These have been updated - Please Read

BCOBS

1: How can BCOBS protect you from your Banks unfair treatment

2: Does your Bank play fair - You can force your Bank to play Fair with you

3: Banking Conduct of Business Regulations - The Hidden Rules

4: BCOBS and Unfair Treatment - Common Examples of Banks Behaving Badly

5: Fair Treatment for Credit Card Holders and Borrowers - COBS

Advice & opinions given by citizenb are personal, are not endorsed by Consumer Action Group or Bank Action Group, and are offered informally, without prejudice & without liability. Your decisions and actions are your own, and should you be in any doubt, you are advised to seek the opinion of a qualified professional.

PLEASE DO NOT ASK ME TO GIVE ADVICE BY PM - IF YOU PROVIDE A LINK TO YOUR THREAD THEN I WILL BE HAPPY TO OFFER ADVICE THERE:D

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BB is the expert, if they think ringing is the way to go, that's what I would do. Generally people report back that the phone people are pleasant to them.

 

BB, would it be worth following up the phone call with a letter to confirm please?

 

HB

Illegitimi non carborundum

 

 

 

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BB is the expert, if they think ringing is the way to go, that's what I would do. Generally people report back that the phone people are pleasant to them.

 

BB, would it be worth following up the phone call with a letter to confirm please?

 

HB

 

I don't personally see what good the letter will do.

 

Any overpayment will be calculated based on monies paid after the OP started living with their partner. The overpaymrnt won't be reduced on the basis that she OP is now reporting the change.

 

I would only see this being beneficial if it was a compliance check as then penalties would be involved.

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Personally I would inform the council also if you are in receipt of any housing or council tax benefits, as council tax has a single occupier discount if you live alone, if not you are no longer entitled to this. The councils generally arn't as pleasant as the tax credit office. I once sent them a letter after changing my hours at work to inform them. Over a year later when pregnant with my second child I moved home and within days of moving in received a letter saying they were investigating me for benefit fraud. They put me in a little room with 2 men 5weeks after giving birth and interviewed me under caution, one of the men stated I used the word intentionally alot and asked if I had googled it, anyway this was to do with me apparantly not informing them I had changed my work hours, they were pretty sheepish when I presented them with a copy of the letter I had posted to them recorded delivery, luckily I kept the proof. but as I said make sure you inform them asap. Hope you get sorted.

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I don't personally see what good the letter will do.

 

Any overpayment will be calculated based on monies paid after the OP started living with their partner. The overpaymrnt won't be reduced on the basis that she OP is now reporting the change.

 

I would only see this being beneficial if it was a compliance check as then penalties would be involved.

 

Thank you BB, I didn't realise that. It goes against the way of dealing with a lot of organisations that feature here.

 

HB

Illegitimi non carborundum

 

 

 

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I don't personally see what good the letter will do.

 

Any overpayment will be calculated based on monies paid after the OP started living with their partner. The overpaymrnt won't be reduced on the basis that she OP is now reporting the change.

 

I would only see this being beneficial if it was a compliance check as then penalties would be involved.

 

Thank you BB, I didn't realise that. It goes against the way of dealing with a lot of organisations that feature here.

 

HB

 

I am a firm believer of CYA, not just with financial institutions that have crap customer service departments, but also with Government departments that deal with money in one form or another.

 

A letter would just need to summarise what was said and by whom in a telephone conversation that have a habit of being misunderstood by one side or the other.

 

However, I bow to the expert knowledge of those in this instance.

Have we helped you ...?         Please Donate button to the Consumer Action Group

Uploading documents to CAG ** Instructions **

Looking for a draft letter? Use the CAG Library

Dealing with Customer Service Departments? - read the CAG Guide first

1: Making a PPI claim ? - Q & A's and spreadsheets for single premium policy - HERE

2: Take back control of your finances - Debt Diaries

3: Feel Bullied by Creditors or Debt Collectors? Read Here

4: Staying Calm About Debt  Read Here

5: Forum rules - These have been updated - Please Read

BCOBS

1: How can BCOBS protect you from your Banks unfair treatment

2: Does your Bank play fair - You can force your Bank to play Fair with you

3: Banking Conduct of Business Regulations - The Hidden Rules

4: BCOBS and Unfair Treatment - Common Examples of Banks Behaving Badly

5: Fair Treatment for Credit Card Holders and Borrowers - COBS

Advice & opinions given by citizenb are personal, are not endorsed by Consumer Action Group or Bank Action Group, and are offered informally, without prejudice & without liability. Your decisions and actions are your own, and should you be in any doubt, you are advised to seek the opinion of a qualified professional.

PLEASE DO NOT ASK ME TO GIVE ADVICE BY PM - IF YOU PROVIDE A LINK TO YOUR THREAD THEN I WILL BE HAPPY TO OFFER ADVICE THERE:D

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I am a firm believer of CYA, not just with financial institutions that have crap customer service departments, but also with Government departments that deal with money in one form or another.

 

A letter would just need to summarise what was said and by whom in a telephone conversation that have a habit of being misunderstood by one side or the other.

 

However, I bow to the expert knowledge of those in this instance.

 

It's honestly just a matter of choice. There is no right or wrong answer.

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