Warning Tax Credits: this is what happens if you move in with new partner...

[inflatableflowers]

... and forget to inform Tax Credits you've moved in.

Genuine mistake in my case.
I have been a lone parent and lived alone with my kids since 2006 (alone during pregnancy too).

March 2016 I moved in with my partner of 4 years.

I didn't inform Tax Credits until July 2016.

I now have a bill for £3,900 fortunately it can be repaid in monthly instalments.

My mistake was part stress related as we'd moved into partner's small one bed flat temporarily (4 people in there cramped and stressful) plus he works from home, and part disbelief that fines or overpayments were 'real' , and were just threats.

They're real.
My overpayment doesn't include a fine, but this is just to remind the odd person who like me might find that circumstance or in worst case scenario deliberate defraud intent, think they can get away without being fined or having to repay the overpayment.

We phoned them when my husband was offered a high grade job with a large pay rise.

We phoned to report the change in circumstances and They didn't lower the payments. We phoned again and told them again. Still didn't lower the repayments. We phoned again, they still didn't change or lower the payments and they contacted us to say we owe them thousands. Luckily enough we had put it away in an ISA because we knew we shouldn't be receiving them so paid in full but I was still cross at the amount of times we phoned them to tell them of the changes.

Everyone with a child is in receipt of benefits

Six children and no benefits in this house, OP. Benefits are for people who need them and claim them honestly. I am unsure what the point of your post is to be honest. Your circumstances altered, you were overpaid, you're paying it back, you're lucky you weren't fined.

I think she means child benefit, which up until recently wasn't means tested.

I understand you can forget OP! When my DH lost his job after a several stressful weeks I forgot to tell the tax credits people as well, and then I strangely assumed that the offices would be joined up enough to notice he was unemployed. They did not.
He started work again and I called them to tell them about the new job. For 3 years I assumed everything was fine and then got a request out of the blue. I thought we'd done everything right, but apparently not. At the time I was supporting the entire family, working full time with 2 kids under 5, one of whom did not sleep through the night. My DH was too depressed and stressed to handle any complicated paper work.
We eventually got told there was an overpayment but that it took them several calculations to work it out exactly. I paid it back over 2 years.

Should is a great word.
Glad you got it sorted.
The best thing to do is be honest with them.

inflatable - do your Tax Credit award notices come addressed to Captain Obvious?

Now now Alice.

No, Alice. But sometimes they're delayed due to my DV ex reporting me for living with someone - when I live with someone.

As I said, many other issues priorised my concern at the time.

Plenty of people with young babies have a high enough household income not to get child benefit, OP. Or any other type of benefit.

reporting me for living with someone - when I live with someone

Whaaaat?

I think this is a good post, it took me longer than it should have to tell tax credits when me and ex split up because when you're moving home, working, looking after kids (mostly) on your own and so on, it can be easy to forget. For me I knew I had to do it but knew I had a few weeks to do it so it slipped down my priorities, until a week or so after the "deadline" for notifying a change when I had that sudden dreadful realisation I hadn't done it. If this post reminds someone who's had the same circumstances it's been worthwhile. Everyone forgets things sometimes.

And I'll hold my hands up, I wasn't aware moving in with a new partner who wasn't kids dad would affect child tax credits, working tax credits I can understand. I'm with Isadora in thinking it's unfair for them to assume a new partner is going to be financially responsible for the kids. In my circumstances I received several times my salary just to cover childcare costs, if I ever meet someone new that would be a huge cost to ask them to take on.

No, Alice. But sometimes they're delayed due to my DV ex reporting me for living with someone - when I live with someone.

Right so did you actually contact them or was it that you got correctly shopped?

The people who are saying they don't understand you could forget to inform them can fuck off.

When my abusive ex finally left I was a complete fucking mess. I sorted out housing benefit and income support, but tax credits completely slipped my mind. It happens.

How about we support one another, rather than post shitty judgey comments.

hoorah @pickledparsnip!

Piglet

Nobody was 'shopped' as nothing underhand had occurred.
This post is about an overpayment imposed due to forgetting to inform Tax Credits in time, not a fine or fraud. There are some people out there whose circumstances will be such that they may well forget to inform, and this illustrates how efficiently Tax Credits will want to recover overpayments.

If only this was cross - agency efficiency and the CSA could pick up some tips.

I owe over £2000 from years ago. Partner moved in, I rang and informed them of this and his earnings, they told me we weren't entitled to working tax credits just the same amount of CTC. Because I didn't complete a tax credits form I have to repay it (not him- they didn't add his name to the claim). Oh, and I was entitled to WTC so was actually losing £120 a month so not being over paid!

They never stopped my payments, which they have when I've had a change in circumstances since. And I've never had to complete a form, just do it over the phone.

So did you forget and then inform them or did your ex inform them?

They were told a few months later by myself.