Has anyone been successful in getting proof of an overpayment from tax credits?

[JackieWeaverIsTheAuthority]

I’ve received a letter today telling me I have received 3 over payments dating from 2017-2020 totalling £1560. I am currently paying back an alleged overpayment from 2013 out of my universal credit and I assume they intend to carry on taking more once that alleged overpayment is paid back to cover these new alleged overpayments. The first over payment I wrote asking them to provide the breakdown of the payments and the calculations used to show where/how the overpayment occurred, I never received any response. This was years ago. They never contacted me again then suddenly when I moved from tax credits to UC in April they started taking money from it to pay back this overpayment that they never proved existed.

So I intend to write to them again asking for proof of these new overpayments but I need to know exactly what I need to ask for. Is a FOI request appropriate?

It feels so wrong that they can just let things lie for years and then just turn up an announce that I owe money and they’re taking it without having to provide any evidence of the overpayment.

Contact your MP and all them to look into it for you.

We had this and we haven’t even claimed tax credit for 4 years. Still paying back an overpayment that was entirely their fault. I refused to pay more than £25 per month because it was the nearest I could get to saying screw you. After appeals and cover ups I lost the will and accepted it would have to be paid back so just made them whistle for it . Terrible system completely unfit for purpose and no, contacting your MP pointless and is about as useful as a chocolate fire guard.

Well my MP is one of the ones who refuses to take their seat in parliament so I’m not sure how much help they would be in sorting this out. I’ll see how far I get by myself and if no joy I’ll get in touch with him.

I second the PP re recorded calls. Quite a few years ago there was a mistake which said I earned double my income. I phoned to tell them the mistake, but they denied I ever made the call and wanted the entire lot back. I appealed and lost. Then I got a copy of the recordings of all my calls, and lo and behold, there was my call informing them and them telling me it would be corrected. They conceded and I didn't owe a penny in the end. It was a stressful time.
Might be worth requesting them too. They send them to you on a CD.

I too had the notes of every time I'd called and the name of the person I'd spoken to.

That's odd I said because I spoke to Jane Garvey, team 62, on 28/1/21 @ 10.23am and she said ......

They don't like that!

It is scandalous that they can do this - to receive the letter and the shock of seeing a huge over payment/ reduction in payments is awful - most of us rely on these payments to live - it has been on the news recently about people committing suicide because of this and it has to stop. I know if I make a mistake at work I am accountable for it - how can we live in an age of high tech and they can not calculate the payments properly. To receive a letter of this nature would push anyone over the edge and to live in fear of getting on 5 10 years down the line is torture. I read that they are clawing over payments from years ago

I got one of these letters...apparently i owe 1500 from 5 years ago! Wtf are they playing at?

I actually stopped claiming it for 3 years because I was sick of having to pay it back. At one point, they were paying me £ 194 a month, then taking £ 194.08 back off me the day after for an overpayment a couple of years before. My constant argument with them was that, they work out how much I get on the figures that I give them- so how do I get overpaid???

@hookiewookie29
I am thinking of doing the same - just stop claiming as the stress of waiting or seeing that brown envelope is making me feel ill. They have a computer system - know what my wage is - nothing complicated as I am not self employed - how difficult can it be to work out what I am owed and how unprofessional and just down right crazy to say 'oops we have overpaid you' - don't they realise the impact of this on people's mental health that are already struggling financially - this is a benefit that is supposed to help lone parents/low incomes
When you get your entitlement as intelligent human beings we all think Ok i can budget for this that and the other but you cant because they will ask for it all back anyway.

@sunrayscome exactly this! Drives me mad!
I am self employed but I give them the exact same figures as I give to the tax man. HMRC never have a problem with it, so how come the tax credits do?!?