how is it possible to have a wtc overpayment for this 2015/2016 when tax year not over ?

[hollowman]

im posting this on behalf of my sister inlaw . she and i have both tried talking to hmrc what a nasty we dont care attitude they have .

 

 

she recently (few weeks ago )saw a £24.80 per week drop in tax credits , phoned them and they said wait for a letter to arrive and then phone the number onit and they will explain .

letter comes and low and behold ,same number idiots.

 

 

any she rand them yesterday and they are calculating that by 05/04/2016 her earning will be £10700

£6.79 ph on a constant 30 hour week . her last wage slip dated 28/02/2016 states her total earnings to be £8002.54 to that date for the year .

 

 

so out came the calculator and a rough estimate to the date they gave 05/04/2016 adds upto £9198.54 total earnings for the year .

 

 

so how can they start taking an over payment for 05/04/2015 to 05/04/2016 of over £700 ?

 

 

they said they base it on earning from previous years of 2013 to 2014 . the system sucks .

so now she is £24.80 worse off a week. reducing her tax credits to £44.64 per week until 10/06/2016.

 

 

she is a single parent who works ,pays full council rent ,gets no discount,full council tax -25% single person discount and has a 13year old child .

 

 

some how i couldnt get it throiugh to the lady that how can you take an overpayment that hasn't actually occured yet ? based on the fact that in 2013-2014 she use to work 40 hrs per week .

 

 

is there some way to appeal against this ? as she struggles as it is now . i see her point , whats the use in working if single parents etc are better off on benefits .

 

 

go to work get punished .

 

 

is there any help she can get either in tax credits ,appealing againt housing costs to offset an overpayment that has not happened yet .

[citizenB]

Are they calculating her income on the new Minimum wage that all employers will have to pay from April ?

 

I agree, that it seems quite bizarre they are assuming that she will be earning a certain figure when it actually hasn't happened ?

 

I will try and find someone who might be able to help.

[Sidewinder]

How long has she been working 30 hours per week? If since the beginning of the tax year that equates to £10592 for the year, not £9198 which might be where the £10700 is coming from?

 

Of course if she was working 40 hours previously but being paid tax credits as if working 30 hours then an overpayment could easil have accrued, although admittedly benefit calculations are not my strong point

 

I don't think this is anything to do with the increase in NMW (NLW) to £7.20 from April - although this is likely to lead to a further recalculation in the future. The Government is ordering employers to pay more wages so that they have to pay less in benefits.

 

I am guessing that they want the overpayment before or as close to April as possible so that recalculating for the extra wages from April will be easier, but as I say, benefits aren't my thing. All I can suggest is to go back to a P60 for 2014/15 and have a look at the tax credit tables for that year to see exactly how much the overpayment was. Look again also at the 2015/16 income against th 2015/16 tables