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Lone parents

Use our Single Parent forum to speak to other parents raising a child alone.

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Original poster

Applied for Working Tax Credits..... and they now want to see proof of everything under the sun... including Credit Card Statements!

28 replies

saltcod · 14/09/2007 23:12

I'm newly single & have never applied for tax credits before. Returned to work part time 2 weeks ago (after mat leave) & today I got a letter asking me to send 3 months worth of invoices for all my credit cards, bank statements, all utilities, child care invoices, child care contracts, pay slips, P60 for last year, rental agreement, child benefit (that's a standard rate FFS!)... the list goes on & on. I certainly wasn't expecting to have to send them copies of my credit card & bank statements.... surely that's none of their business ?

How come they need to see these things when I didn't have to show most of this for child tax credits/income support (when I qualified)/housing benefit?

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Flamesparrow · 14/09/2007 23:15

I thought working tc just took into account all the same stuff as ctc just with your hours n wages

AMAZINWOMAN · 15/09/2007 07:33

I had to send all of these when I applied for housing benefit. I get really stressed by it all-havent we got enough to do without searhing for bits of paper!!

Original poster

saltcod · 15/09/2007 09:28

I just thought WTC was a set amount & based on your income + childcare costs. I don't see what my personal finances have to do with it .

Amazinwoman... must be different in your area then I only had to show a copy of my rental agreement.

OP posts:

charliecat · 15/09/2007 09:30

I had to do this recently, took me 2 DAYS to sort it all out.
But its sorted now.

Tinkerbel5 · 15/09/2007 16:03

your credit card statements havnt got anything to do with them, what they would need though is proof of income and childcare, so would need bank statements, pay slips, p60 and child care contract, anything else is irrelevant and I wouldnt send it.

zmandaz · 15/09/2007 18:39

I didn't realise that you had to show all that stuff to get housing benefit. Thing is, I had to leave my old home in a hurry because of ex-h being violent and left all my paperwork behind which he has since dumped at the tip. I would be able to get bank statements for the last year but not much else. Do you think I'll still be able to apply?

SlightlyMadSweden · 15/09/2007 18:57

WTC is part of CTC isn't it? Mine is and I have never had to give evidence for anything.

charliecat · 15/09/2007 18:58

You can print things off the net, bank statement etc, get rent staement from housing office bla bla...
Apply and supply what you can and explain the situation.

Paulatwinmum · 17/09/2007 20:08

i dont think i supplied all of this when i started getting wtc (last year). i took my form into the nursery and they filled in their bit, i did the rest with my p60. All was ok then i renewed mine over the phone all i really needed was p60-it does get easier!! they ask you if any other changes etc then that was it.

kualalump · 18/09/2007 21:07

I think they have tightened up tax credits recently. I rang them yesterday with a query and they asked me at least six security questions (no kidding) before they would even speak to me. I got the last one wrong. It was 'how often do we pay you the money?' I wasn't sure offhand (it is weekly) and because I got this one question wrong (after 5 much more relevant correct answers) the woman told me I had failed and she was terminating the call. I was quite angry at this unreasonableness. Had to call back and queue again. Spoke to someone else and he told me there has been a lot of fraud so they have changed their policy and ask a lot more questions now. They used to only ask your National Insurance number and name and address. I am wondering whether asking you for all this paperwork is part of the same change?

I don't like tax credits. That is, I like the money but I don't like the fact that you have to apply for it and hand over so much personal information. Makes me feel like a charity case. Why don't they just make it so that no-one pays any tax at all until you reach a certain income, change the tax bands.

Original poster

saltcod · 24/10/2007 23:20

Well, I did what Tinkerbel5 suggested and limited the stuff I sent them. This week I got a snotty letter back demanding copies of all the missing items otherwise I would face a fine or my claim would be dismissed. If I don't get the WTC then I can't work & would have to go on income support. Brilliant. They also wanted to know where ex-DH is living, was I still in contact with him, had we consulted a solicitor (& if so, provide evidence) and how often does he see the kids. FFS!! What business is this of theirs?!?!? Feeling like just giving up & living on benefits, they're making it so hard

OP posts:

zippitippitoes · 24/10/2007 23:23

i've never had to do that..and i just made a new claim since july as i split with my partner and i'm self employed andthey don't ask for anything

charliecat · 24/10/2007 23:25

Ihadtodothis,newclaiminmayselfemployed...sorryspacebarknackered.

singledadofthree · 24/10/2007 23:30

i also started claiming both recently. they didnt ask for proof of anything. not even wages - just my employers details, they got in touch with them direct. if theyd wanted that much info i would have given up.
got bored filling council tax form in and phoned to cancel claim but woman talked me into calling in the office after work so her mate could go thru it.
guess theyre a bit different around here.

zippitippitoes · 24/10/2007 23:32

i have been claiming since it started though..so about er 5 years or something?

Skribble · 24/10/2007 23:34

I phoned the help line/ call centre and they were very very helpful. I was filling the form out at home, but she did it on line and she already knew my wage and child benefit number etc and that was all she needed really. Did start with a lot of security questions as I was canceling the joint claim. She said if I had any general queries they would be happy to answer them with out going through all the questions.

Perhaps try phoning and enquiring as to why they need all that extra info, you might be lucky and get a helpful advisor.

Skribble · 24/10/2007 23:35

Sorry I meant she did it over the phone not online.

BreeVanDerCampLGJ · 24/10/2007 23:43

Well surely it is a pain in the ass, but better to make sure it is not being handed out willy, nilly.

There must be professionals out there willing to work the system, so if they tighten it up everyone benefits.

yurt1 · 24/10/2007 23:52

well tax creadits are OVERPAYING me by almost a GRANDa month. I have repeatedly tried to sort this out and the payments haven;t stopped. I've phoned them and written to them. Ridiculous. It's not fraud it's f** incompetence.

yurt1 · 24/10/2007 23:55

oh and I didn;t have to show them anything before they started overpaying us by a grand. Basically I did my annual review which has been the same for years. They knocked off a 0 off dh;s salary- we;re stuffed 'computer says no'/

Original poster

saltcod · 25/10/2007 00:11

I thought WTC was based on income & childcare costs. I provided them with proof of both, but that was just the tip of the iceberg of what they wanted to know. I fail to see how the issue of how often my ex sees the kids has any bearing on how much WTC I should receive. And threatening me with a fine before they've even paid me a penny?!?

OP posts:

persephonesnape · 25/10/2007 00:12

yurt1, they did exactly the same thing to me last year, but i phoned and they changed it straight away, however the overpayment was adjusted throughout the year reducing my tax credit by half every month,. I was sending my son to school in shoes held together with duck tape I got my MP involved and took it as far as the parliamentary ombudsman. they found in their favour and i got a mighty £75 compensation (which was swallowed up in the bank charges..)

my advice would be to email your MP and ask them to take it forward. I haven't checked legislation (can do at work possibly) but they probably can ask you whatever they like to build up a picture to see if you may be not you - by not sending the credit card statements as originally requested i wouldn't be surprised if they haven't been provoked into asking for more info.

there was a huge fraud last year where 1,500 DWP staff had their identities stolen and used to make fraudulent claims. they've tightened up a lot. contact your MP or CAB. if you have time try and pop into your jobcentre and see a Lone parent adviser, explain the situation to them and say you may lose your job and have to go back on benefits. ask them to check their procedure because there is a national nominated officer to deal with these cases and he normally gets everything sorted out. you can use a lone parent adviser even if you're not on JSA/IS. (if they say you can't, contact the district managers office (you can find out who this is by googling jobcentreplus and the area that you live in..)

best of luck let me know how you get on

yurt1 · 25/10/2007 00:17

oh persophone I phoned and got a dickwit on the end who wanted various documents (i;d never seen 9statement of my carers'allowance etc) totallt unhelpful, I have a feeling we're not entitled to anything now so all these overpayments will have to be paid back I'm going to chuck them into premium bonds soon- although I'm scared about them snatching it back (bank account will collapse).

nappyaddict · 25/10/2007 01:20

i want to apply for WTC but i don't pay any utility bills or have any credit cards. does that mean i wouldn't be able to apply??

amytheearwaxbanisher · 25/10/2007 01:31

didnt you know you have to send all personal detail including a blood sample and bra size to these people

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