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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Almost dying with anxiety can someone help?

15 replies

FrankieDoyle · 12/01/2020 21:15

I suffer with extreme anxiety and I'm desperately trying to get on top of things.

I have a council tax court summons for outstanding council tax between April 2019-March 2020.

It's for a few missed payments (my husband left me in February and I was signed off sick with depression and anxiety)

I thought I was up to date with the payments but I think I missed 3 installments. I'm struggling to go through my online banking trying to figure out when.

I'm going to pay them the full amount tomorrow. (My mum lent me the money this evening).
I'm crying and shaking and cant breathe.

If I pay the full amount tomorrow can they still take me to court? Will they still have to?
If I don't turn up to court because I've paid the full amount will they come and arrest me?
Why are they asking for April 19-March 20??

Please please someone help me. I cant stop crying and I think I'm on the verge of a panic attack.
I have run out of my diazepam too until I can make a doctor's appointment

OP posts:

DesLynamsMoustache · 12/01/2020 21:17

Don't panic. If you pay they won't waste time/money taking you to court. Call them tomorrow and check they have the right information and then just pay what you owe and I'm sure that will be an end to it.

Robstersgirl · 12/01/2020 21:18

Get to the doctors ASAP. Call CT tomorrow or go on your online account tonight and see if you can make an arrangement. Don’t pay it all in one go if you will end up struggling with future payments. Explain what’s happened. You don’t attend court in CT hearings where I live and work. Make sure you get help and talk to someone.

Chinnychinnychinnychib · 12/01/2020 21:19

I had the exact same when I failed to pay CT on my Mums house after she died. I didn’t realise the payments kicked in after 6 months and first I knew was a court summons. I rang them and sorted out a repayment schedule, they were really nice and all done now.

Louise91417 · 12/01/2020 21:20

Once you pay the full amount give them a ring just to confirm you have paid, this will stop it going to court...iv been in this scenario and it has never went to court once paid. Try to stop worrying...it really isnt worth freting about and will be resolved on payment..evrything can always be sorted and nothing is worth getting yourself in a state. Sending you a hug...

Throckmorton · 12/01/2020 21:22

Hey, hugs. If you speak to them tomorrow and get the debt paid off, I can't imagine why they would want to take you to court. When you speak to them tomorrow, just explain the circumstances and I'm sure they will be fine.

I reckon the reason they are asking for April 19-March 20 is just because that's the tax year into which your missed payments fall - nothing more sinister than that.

I would say that the best thing to do now is go get a cuppa and distract yourself with your distraction of choice. You'll be fine tomorrow - it's all just admin really. hugs though - anxiety sucks

Original poster

FrankieDoyle · 12/01/2020 21:35

I keep worrying and going over different scenarios like what if I pay but they still expect me to turn up to court?

Do I go to prison if they think I haven't paid?

OP posts:

Doryhunky · 12/01/2020 21:37

Just pay. Email and call them to ask them to confirm summons withdrawn.

Throckmorton · 12/01/2020 21:41

trust me, cos I know how anxiety works. These scenarios feel very real to you, but I promise you there is no realism in them. If you pay, that will be the end of it. They won't arrest you and they certainly wont put you in prison. Think how much that would cost them!

ichifanny · 12/01/2020 21:44

If you pay they won’t take you to court at all , don’t worry it will all be ok .

avocadoze · 12/01/2020 21:44

It’s going to be okay. You have the money to make the payments. Contact them tomorrow, make the payments and you’ll be in a better situation than you are today.

Original poster

FrankieDoyle · 12/01/2020 21:46

@Throckmorton
Thank you I feel really dizzy and light headed right now do you think its the crying etc?
I have eaten a small dinner.

OP posts:

Throckmorton · 12/01/2020 21:48

It's absolutely the crying - strong emotion always makes me feel washed out! Get sat down with tea/cake/more food/something reassuring.

victoriashleigh · 12/01/2020 21:51

I suffer from terrible anxiety as well so please let me tell you this happened to me and hopefully it will put your mind at ease.

We thought we had set up a direct debit for council tax payments but something went wrong somewhere down the line and the set up wasn't actually completed. We didn’t check the post very often as it was a communal mailbox down in the basement and we are pretty much paperless, usually just junk mail. Anyway, I went down eventually to check and we both had a court summons as we hadn’t paid council tax for two or three months. Called them the next day and paid, absolutely mortified, and they told us on the phone it was now settled and to ignore any further letters that might already be in the system.

They really just want to be paid in my experience so please try not to worry!

whydobirds · 12/01/2020 21:53

First off, even if you DID end up at court, they wouldn't send you to prison. Yes, people can go to prison for non payment of council tax but only after the council have exhausted all ways of retrieving the money (bailiffs etc). Since you're going to pay in full this won't happen. You aren't going to go to prison

Court costs money and time too and they'd only be pursuing the court case to get back unpaid ct. So if you pay they will cancel the summons.

It will be ok. Honestly it will. Just ring them tomorrow. X

onceandneveragain · 12/01/2020 22:25

Hi. I used to work in council tax (a while ago but doubt the system has changed that much/is particularly different between areas). Firstly even if you did absolutely nothing, nobody would expect you to actually go to court in person. When I worked there, nobody from the office even went. It's basically just a system for the local govt to sort of have the debt confirmed so they can then make various efforts to get it back (and slap on a hefty fine). basically the judge will just read out a (long) list of people the summons has been sent to. 99% of people on the list don't turn up so the judge just 'signs off' the debt (usually also adds another charge on) so the council can then make various efforts to reclaim it. This isn't the technical language but just to put it in laymens terms.

What the council do then varies, but it is very very very unlikely you would ever go to prison as they will try every which way to reclaim it other ways first, in order of severity, so either just arranging a payment plan, or maybe an attachment of earnings, then if repeatedly defaulted maybe passing it to a bailiff....you'd have to not pay ctax at all for many years and have repeatedly ignored/defaulted on all other efforts to repay it for it to be worth them going through the legal process to try and bring a case of non-payment, and even then judges are very reluctant to imprison and will themselves try and sort out an alternative first.

But the good news is that if you ring them and pay in full tomorrow none of this will happen anyway. So relax!

And as someone up thread pointed out - yes the charge is for April 19-March 20 because technically ctax is supposed to be paid upfront, in full, in advance for the year ahead.Pretty much all local govts instead automatically offer a monthly payment schedule instead because they know most people can't afford to pay several grand upfront, but if you default on several monthly payments you lose this 'privilege' and the whole (yearly) amount becomes liable.

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