HMRC Working Tax Credit Overpayment - 8 Years Old

[Suit You]

Hi,

 

Here are the basics:

 

1. I have a severe mental illness, schizophrenia and other issues, will never be able to work due my illness and medications I need to take.

2. I used to be married  but seperated from my wife in 2014 and later divorced.

 

3. My wife was my carer and took care of everything for me.

 

4. My wife made a claim for working tax credits which was granted.

 

5. My wife would simply put the forms in front of my and say I need you to sign here, which I did.

 

6. I had no idea what information etc. she had put on the forms, I trusted her at that time and also because of my illness I was dependant on her.

 

7. Seems she got things wrong and HMRC said they overpaid the tax credits and wanted the money back.

 

8. The overpayment was from 2014 - the same year that my wife and I parted company.

 

9. As my wife dealt with the finances and bills etc. she said she would deal with the overpayment.

 

10. Not long after I had split from my wife I got a letter from the HMRC directly addressed to me saying about the overpayment and that I needed to pay it back.

 

11. Spoke with HMRC back then and explained the situation to them and about my mental illness, was told by the person I spoke with that all activity to collect from me would be stopped for, I think they said 3 years, and if after that period my condition has not changed and was still claiming benefits for said condition the debt would be cancelled/written off.

 

12. After that initial conversation with HMRC I have heard nothing from them until today, some almost 8 years later

 

13. I had assumed as I had not heard from them that they had indeed cancelled/written off the debt

 

14. Can they pursue me for this 8 years down the line?

15. My illness hasn't changed,  I will have this illness for the rest of my life

 

Any advice or guidance would be appreciated.

Thanks for reading

[dx100uk]

Gov't debts are not written off after XX time

 

Pop up on the HMRC website

Use their search for SAR 

 

Fill it in and submit it 

 

They must hold the data to prove you owe the money 

 

Then you can use you above details too and argue your case 

 

I see you posted in the HMRC forum, there are lots of like threads to read as well to guide you moving fwd 

 

Dx