tax credits are saying £4000 overpayment!! wtf

[chosenone]

1st letter arrives saying I will get a one off payment of £4374 next week and then massive amounts each month, realised it was wrong straight away but the next day... 2nd letter arrives telling me to ignore the 1st and that i will be getting £272 a month but that I have been overpaid by £4000!! When me and exDH seperated just after last renewal I was on my own with a 26k salary and childcare costs of £100 a week, and got approx £320 a month ...so was I overpaid!?! Can't get through on the helpline but will keep trying and put it all in writing I reckon.

How many DC do you have?

two - one in nursery one at school

I have just worked it out that you would be entitled to £489 per mth,this year.
That's worked out with you working over 30 hours,with a income of £26k before tax.
Have you made sure that your exH income isn't included ?

Thanks for that loveme2 i will ring and check when i can get through and get it in writing! They say I owe more than they even gave me last year! But yes I'll check its based on my income only, but i did think it was 70% of childcare so if mine is £400m a month Id get £320 which is what I was getting.

The £489 is working tax and child tax credits.I think, but not 100% sure,that the childcare part is included in that.

thanks- hoping to god I don't owe them that back then- cheers

Definitely recommend getting it all down in writing. Don't panic as they do make mistakes quite regularly. Does the £4k owed not refer to the one off payment they were about to pay you in error? Double check it hasn't appeared in your bank account. I think you are right about the £320 but I think you should also be entitled to a small amount of children's tax credit as well. My only caveat is that as I have never claimed child care costs I don't know categorically how the entitlement phases out with income.