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Mental health

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Original poster

Feel suicidal. Losing everything because of the HMRC.

115 replies

hatethehmrc · 01/02/2018 13:49

The HMRC have decided that as I didn't tell them about my new job in July, I owe them over £5000 and they will not be paying me again until April.

Every day, they tell me something different regarding whether the fact that I'm going to be in severe hardship will make a difference. Today, the answer is no.

I'm a young single parent, I work, I'm in my final year of a degree. My living costs (rent/ Nursery bills) are high - £1800pm just for them. My tax credits equal £1100pm. Without this money, me and my 2yo will be homeless, I won't be able to go to work (I owe last months Nursery payment of £600 due to this). I won't be able to finish my last term of university and graduate, which I have worked so bloody hard for.

They say the appeal will take up to 44 weeks. I begged them to just listen to the phone call in July and this would all get sorted out - every day, the answer to whether they have this phone call logged changes. Even on the days when they do, they say the note just says that I renewed my tax credits and that's it. I beg them to please take the 5 minutes to listen to the entire call, then all of this mess will be sorted out. They refuse. My MP tried to help but couldn't get too far.

Now the clincher: I got the awards notice from them today saying I would be paid £647 as a final payment between now and April. I've just phoned them up and they say that that is a mistake that has now been corrected. I ask for a new letter saying that I won't get paid anything, so can try and receive some childcare help through student finance or my university. They say no, they won't do that, as their calculations are based on me paying childcare for the rest of the year with no help. But there's no way I could do this!

I'm going to lose my home. I'm going to lose my job. I'm going to have to drop out of university. All in the next week or two.

Three years ago I escaped from an extremely abusive and violent relationship whilst pregnant. I was 21, homeless and jobless and had nothing. I've built me and my daughter a lovely life, and now it's all going to be taken it away from us through no fault of my own.

I can't cope. I can't stop crying. I've exhausted every avenue. What do I do?

OP posts:

QuiteLikely5 · 01/02/2018 14:04

Was there a reason you didn’t tell them you were working?

Have you offered to repay in small instalments?

reallyanotherone · 01/02/2018 14:04

You didn’t tell them about your job, therefore you have to take some responsibility. It’s not hmrc fault if they didn’t know...and that’s probably why your mp can’t do anything, the truth is you owe the money.

So. Go to your bank, hardship fund, uni loans. Try and get an overdraft or some sort of bridging loan until you graduate.

Talk to hmrc and arrange a repayment scheme. Then you can repay slowly. Talk to nursery and uni and make them aware.

Good luck.

becotide · 01/02/2018 14:05

You're going to be ok. The benefits system will catch you. You may be very poor for a while but you are young and have plenty of time to fight your way back.

IlikemyTeahot · 01/02/2018 14:05

Agree with some pp. I'm fairly sure as a single mum you are entitled to a few benefits even if you're working/studying. Maybe you knew and didn't want to claim but now would be a good time to check all possibilities.
Try the entitledto calculator it should tell you everything you can apply for xx

becotide · 01/02/2018 14:06

WRT writing to them - send that letter recorded delivery, then they cannot deny that they received it.

Myddognearlyatethedeliveryman · 01/02/2018 14:07

They can't legally take in one go more than 10% of what you owe them . You need to Google legalities of tax credits and write to them quoting your findings.

Original poster

hatethehmrc · 01/02/2018 14:09

I will try to address everything.

I did tell them. I remember sitting in the park on my lunch break in my first week calling them and renewing and telling them about my new job. 100000000% sure. At first they said they had no record at all of a call in July. Just one person out of the many has said there was a call renewing the tax credits but that's all the notes say.

I asked for an itemised bill but my phone company say I don't pay the £2 a month for this so any requests would have to come through a solicitor. I don't have money for a solicitor.

I already get some housing benefit. I will call them to see if I'm entitled to any more now. I don't really want to drop my hours and claim income support, but I may have to as my wage atm is only £1.50 more than my daughter's hourly nursery fee. Also not sure I could claim whilst being at uni?

I will go to my student advice service tomorrow. I thought my best bet was applying for childcare help through student finance (you can only claim childcare help through them if you're not getting it through tax credits), and their turnaround is about 2 weeks but I can't do that without this bloody letter saying they're not paying me anything! It's a disgrace they've sent me an incorrect letter so I can't access the help. The good thing about student finance is it would be a lump sum of about 2k so would last me three months if I'm really careful (and then my tax credits come back less £50 a week?!)

I'll try CAB also. I just haven't got the time that these things take. My rent is due on Saturday, I'm about £100 short which I'll have to borrow. My Nursery bills overdue, that's too much to borrow from anyone. Soon they won't let her come anymore. So I won't be able to work. So next month I won't be able to pay my rent. Plus I have exams coming up.

OP posts:

usernamepassword · 01/02/2018 14:09

Your university will have a bursary/ hardship fund. It is there for people in your position. The university wants you to finish your course!

If you feel low remember that you can talk to the Samaritans.

usernamepassword · 01/02/2018 14:10

Also, solicitors give you the first half hour free for advice.

WildWindsBlowing · 01/02/2018 14:11

employ a CA What is this?

I am so sorry Hate I don't know what to advise and hope the CAB, and your student union, and your University welfare department can help you. Have you asked a local councillor too? You have achieved so much and it is utterly ridiculous for you to be in this position.

Imo everyone these days needs their own telephone recorder when telephoning public services as the people on the other end are not reliable.

Domino20 · 01/02/2018 14:11

Wow, that all sounds really stressful! My university were always very good with hardship funding, do try them immediately. If you can show them bank statements with no money coming in that should be enough proof regardless of any letters from tax credits. I found the CAB to be worse than useless in my own dealings with the state but I did find a small local specialist support organisation that had a shit hot legal professional who took my case on at very short notice. Perhaps you could tell us where you are in the country and between us we could come up with a list of organisations to call until you come across the right support.

olliegarchy99 · 01/02/2018 14:11

how much do you earn from your job - I assume it is part time as you are in your final year
If you have been getting benefits as if you were not working since last July now you have told them you are working they will assess that you have been paid your tax credit entitlement up till April. Try the calculator as mentioned and see if you have actually been overpaid.

Original poster

hatethehmrc · 01/02/2018 14:12

They can't legally take in one go more than 10% of what you owe them . You need to Google legalities of tax credits and write to them quoting your findings.

I was so relieved when I found this! But apparently it is not the case if it has been through mandatory reconsideration or something. Anyway, they've said it doesn't apply to me.

OP posts:

Original poster

hatethehmrc · 01/02/2018 14:13

If you have been getting benefits as if you were not working since last July now you have told them you are working they will assess that you have been paid your tax credit entitlement up till April. Try the calculator as mentioned and see if you have actually been overpaid.

I haven't, I had a different job before. I've been paid the correct amount. It's just the fact that they've said I didn't tell them.

OP posts:

Sunshinegirl82 · 01/02/2018 14:14

The data subject access request is worth a look if you can, they have 40 days to respond so the quicker you make the request the quicker they should respond.

MaddieElla · 01/02/2018 14:14

You would have got paperwork through the post after you spoke to them in July (if it still works as it did years ago when I had experience of Tax Credits). If you didn't receive paperwork, you should have chased it. Or if you did receive paperwork and it didn't show your new job, you should have chased them.

What you shouldn't have done is continue to have inflated payments and not checked your award was correct. I would never trust HMRC to get it right, I would want everything in writing.

Original poster

hatethehmrc · 01/02/2018 14:14

I thought this part of my OP made it clear I'd told them:

I begged them to just listen to the phone call in July and this would all get sorted out - every day, the answer to whether they have this phone call logged changes. Even on the days when they do, they say the note just says that I renewed my tax credits and that's it. I beg them to please take the 5 minutes to listen to the entire call, then all of this mess will be sorted out. They refuse.

Agree I wouldn't have a leg to stand on if I didn't. But I did.

OP posts:

WhippinPiccadilly1 · 01/02/2018 14:14

This email address is for a man called Jon Thompson.

[email protected]

He is the chief exec of HMRC. His team deal with complaints. I know a huge amount of people who have dealt with him and his team, and the matter has been sorted quickly and payments reinstated. Compensation has been paid for errors made too.

Don't worry. Email your complaint and you will get a quick response.

homebythesea · 01/02/2018 14:15

Make the time to go to the CAB - is it worth losing everything for the sake of some inconvenience? They will advise how to maximise your income, deal with the tax credits (including if necessary a repayment plan) and advise on any other benefits you may be able to access for the next few months.

BewareOfDragons · 01/02/2018 14:16

Go to the reputable media, mainstream.

amyboo · 01/02/2018 14:17

University hardship funding rescued my other half when he couldn't pay his rent (due to his own idiotic spending) in his 2nd year at university. They were really great about it and it was quick. I'm sure if a much more serious situation like yours they'll be able to help you. As someone else said above - they want you to finish your degree, so I'm sure they'll help you. Good luck.

Original poster

hatethehmrc · 01/02/2018 14:18

*You would have got paperwork through the post after you spoke to them in July (if it still works as it did years ago when I had experience of Tax Credits). If you didn't receive paperwork, you should have chased it. Or if you did receive paperwork and it didn't show your new job, you should have chased them.

What you shouldn't have done is continue to have inflated payments and not checked your award was correct. I would never trust HMRC to get it right, I would want everything in writing.*

I know, I've searched through my drawers for paperwork from then. Not excusing anything, but it was my first year renewing tax credits, I had been badly hurt and my family was going through a MARAC for the worst cases of domestic abuse, alongside many court cases. My MH was bad. So I wasn't as on the ball as I should have been, and wouldn't have even realised I didn't get paperwork. I wasn't getting inflated payments though. I was working before, with similar hours/ income and Nursery fees. The payments were/ are correct.

OP posts:

Daphne72 · 01/02/2018 14:18

a lot of churches run a thing called CAP- Christians against poverty. I would google it, find a CAP course in local area, and the people that run it will probably have time to sit down and go through all this with you face to face.

PigletWasPoohsFriend · 01/02/2018 14:19

I haven't, I had a different job before. I've been paid the correct amount. It's just the fact that they've said I didn't tell them.

Sorry but that doesn't make sense. Have you anything in writing at all? It seems strange. Did you check that they had been changed correctly?

How do you know if you are getting the correct amount if they have no record of your job?

swingofthings · 01/02/2018 14:20

Why were you under investigation? If it is just a case of a change of job and they claim you didn't inform them of the new job, then it doesn't make any sense that they would have decided that you owe that much money as they then should still have the details of your last position and your income should show what you were paid.

It doesn't make much sense, even less that your MP has decided that there was nothing he could do for you. Your best bet as said is to deal with them, but without knowing the exact circumstances, it's hard to help, which it sound is what your MP tried to do in the first place anyway.

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