AIBU to be pissed off that tax credits keep asking for proof my children are alive/living with us?

[havingamadmoment]

a year ago we had tax credits stopped for our youngest child because they thought she had died at one day old. No idea why but it was a nightmare to sort out - it took nearly 3 months. They kept sending letters with her details as thought she was dead which was a little odd.

Now I have had a letter/phone call asking for written proof that all the children live here as they have information otherwise! WTF! they all live here. Now I need to have some sort of official document for all the children from the last month or so with their names and this address on. I dont even know what I am going to send and I only have a week.

AIBU to be getting pissed off now with their insistence that my children are either dead or not in my care??

Now I need to have some sort of official document for all the children from the last month or so with their names and this address on

Children don't have regular official documents - only thing I can think of is a bank statement (but mine come yearly) or a hospital letter.

Is it worth asking your GP to provide a letter? Or school on Monday?

That doesn't sound right at all. The only thing I can think of is your Child Benefit letter, but those are usually years old. What kind of official document do they expect you to have? Get you get advice from the CAB?

I am going to call child benefit and ask if they could send a new letter out with all the chidlrens names on. No idea if they can or not but its the only thing I can think of. Although surely if I was lying to tax credits I would also be lying to child benefit but hey ho!

Do you think they may have you mixed up with someone else with the same/similar name?

A letter from the school/nursery would be the best option.

Sounds like someone is maliciously reporting you.

I agree that getting the school to write a letter confirming the children's names, dob and address would be a good idea. Perhaps one from the GP as well.

YANBU to be pissed off, but YABU to think that you shouldn't have to provide proof that you are entitled to benefits if you want to claim them.

A child benefit letter, or maybe one from your HV would be the best bet.

You might struggle to get to speak to anyone at Child Benefit. It seems to be a fully automated system.

I had to provide evidence that DS2 (aged 5) lived here for his bus pass and I used a dentist reminder letter. The NHS card that you get when you register them with a GP should be ok as well

If they are little could you not use their health red books?

Hmm. I would think that maybe someone was fraudulently trying to claim under your name or childrens names and that is why they need proof. I remember reading that criminals often steal the details of babies that have died in order to get things like NI numbers and benefits. I would make sure this is not the case if I were you.

Sounds like someone is maliciously reporting you.

Do you really think so? Who the would do that? I feel a bit sick now. It's got to be a database error, surely?

I cant think of anyone who would report us - as far as I am aware I havent annoyed anyone. It seems a bit pointless to report us for not having the children living here since they clearly do. Its just really odd!

I only suggest that because the OP says in her first post "Now I have had a letter/phone call asking for written proof that all the children live here as they have information otherwise!"

What information? Most often when benefits people get 'information' it is from someone reporting something.

It may very well not be, but what information? From where/who?

Do any of you have similar names or share initials?

If anyone saw the breakfast telly slot this morning, there was a piece on credit ratings - a set of triplets, obviously with the same birthday, same address and same initials (imaginative parents) had a hell of a job proving their individuality - most computer systems assumed it one person using aliases.

And another one with a set of twins were issued the same NI number which took forever to resolve.

It could be something as simple as when you were giving birth, another baby with the same family name died that day. Sadly computer systems are only as reliable as the person putting in the data.

Hecsy Oh dear. I see what you mean.