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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:

Original poster

hatethehmrc · 01/02/2018 16:17

I've wrote a really good (I think) email to Jon Thompson, copying in my MP and the ombudsman - though it says on the website your MP has to refer your case - but hopefully it will make him more likely to reply.

I made sure to detail the effect this was having on my mental health, and the impact this would have on my daughter who's already been through so much in her short little life. I've lived in a homeless hostel before whilst pregnant, I've had to deal with living in the next room to drug addicts trying to break your flimsy door down in the middle of the night for a few quid, dodging needles on your way to the shared bathroom in the dark hoping you don't bump into anyone. There were kids who lived there. I can't let my baby end up there.

I will go and apply to the hardship fund at uni tomorrow, and they also seem to do a bridging loan of 100pw which I think might be able to be implemented quicker, so will apply for that too. And keep my fingers crossed for a good outcome.

Really does feel like the world's against me though. Just rang up the housing benefit people, and he said due to recent correspondence from the tax credit office, your housing benefit payments will be dropping £40pw from next week. Just burst into tears when he said that. He said it didn't make any sense to him either, and as soon as I get the letter which says they're going to pay me nothing (finally persuaded them to send this), to email it in and it should go back up. So probably won't actually affect any payments. But honestly?!

Now I just need to pull my socks up, stop crying and start bloody revising so I can get top marks in my exam tomorrow and one day get a good job so I don't bloody need to depend on these wankers anymore!

OP posts:

Bexter801 · 01/02/2018 16:23

It's horrendous being in the mercy of them,I know! And I can sympathise with living in homeless with young kids,it's not somewhere you want to return. I would also write it in a letter,copy the letter,and send by recorded post(e-mails can conveniently get lost in the system). Also ask housing benefit can they help with a discretionary housing payment,and if not will they back pay the amount you have to pay once this gets resolved. And crisis loans,have you applied for any? Or community care grant(both can be applied for online)

Original poster

hatethehmrc · 01/02/2018 16:24

Oh and for the poster who said my MP probably doesn't want to be involved anymore as it sounds like I've committed fraud, I've just got this email back from the caseworker helping me:

Thanks for copying (MP) in on this email. You have set it out really clearly and well. Keep me in the loop with whatever response you get and whether (MP) can jump in and help at any point.

Was a bit offended by that assumption tbh.

OP posts:

Bexter801 · 01/02/2018 16:25

Try do exactly that :),focus on your exam(don't let this take all your energy/headspace) Good luck,am sure you'll fly it

Original poster

hatethehmrc · 01/02/2018 16:26

I will write it in a letter too. I didn't ask about a discretionary housing payment, I'll do that. They said they don't backdate in these circumstances. I'm not eligible for a crisis loan (it's called a budgeting loan now) or a CCG as I'm not on income support or anything like that. It's so difficult.

OP posts:

Original poster

hatethehmrc · 01/02/2018 16:27

Thank you bexter

OP posts:

Bexter801 · 01/02/2018 16:31

Your welcome :) There's budgeting loans,but also crisis loans,they have to let you know within 1 working day(allowed 3 within a year) and you don't have to be in receipt of benefits,to qualify.

Original poster

hatethehmrc · 01/02/2018 16:38

Have you got a link? Everything I'm googling just says they've been stopped and replaced with budgeting loans. Just when you have a second if possible please xx

OP posts:

GingerAndTheBiscuits · 01/02/2018 16:40

If you’re referencing social fund Bexter the money for that has gone, at least in the authority nearest me.

youarenotkiddingme · 01/02/2018 16:49

If it's the July renewal (the end of month deadline) to confirm what they have written to you in April with as your yearly amount - and nothing has changed - you don't get paperwork.

Original poster

hatethehmrc · 01/02/2018 16:51

If it's the July renewal (the end of month deadline) to confirm what they have written to you in April with as your yearly amount - and nothing has changed - you don't get paperwork.

That's useful. I can stop frantically searching through my drawers now!

OP posts:

Bexter801 · 01/02/2018 16:54

Your right....they only do crisis loans,in certain parts of the country. It depends on who is your local council. Other councils help with hardship payments,and alike,just depends where you live x

Isitwise · 01/02/2018 17:55

Hi OP, I work for HMRC. I’m going to PM you if I can

Domino20 · 01/02/2018 18:05

Some wonderful folk offering advice and help here. People who think claiming benefits is an easy option have no idea of the shitty reality, being powerless in the face of such incompetence is absolutely soul destroying. Good Luck with your university work OP, you are clearly a determined lady. All the best x

EfficiencyDeficiency · 02/02/2018 06:43

Hi op, I haven't got much to add and you've had lots of brilliant advice here but just want to say please don't give up.

I think that sometimes their mentality is that if they throw enough shit at you then you will just leave it.

No- you're right, they're wrong.
Keep fighting this all of the way. I'm rooting for you. Think of the end result. You having faced massive adversity, gone through university with a toddler and still managed to work and keep your heads above water.

You can do this

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