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Original poster

Tax Credit Childcare fraud

45 replies

sicknotemum · 10/06/2013 13:52

Please HELP!

I have just received a letter from the compliance team at hmrc telling me they are checking my claim for childcare. I know I have done the wrong thing but when my eldest child went to nursery in Sept 11 I didn't let hmrc know and continued to receive childcare costs for 2 children in childcare rather than one. I then rang at the end of august 12 to say that only one child would still be in childcare as the other was ready for primary one. they are now looking for receipts etc to confirm that both children were there and obviously only one child was. I am really scared and I know I have done wrong but has this happened to anyone else? please advise what I should do? x

OP posts:

MisselthwaiteManor · 10/06/2013 15:13

You won't go to jail. Read the link I posted, it'll only become criminal if it's serious organised fraud, you fake documents or hide documents etc

Original poster

sicknotemum · 10/06/2013 15:21

Thanks, how do I check if there are any other threads like mine to possibly find out what the outcome was?

OP posts:

ivykaty44 · 10/06/2013 15:28

sicknotmum - please don't worry it will be ok if you now help the tax credit people with what you know

I would write down all the facts and figures as best you can remember them

then go and tell the tax credit people this is what you think was paid in error and you want to pay it back and have a plan to pay it back. Seee what they say and take it from there. If you phone them make a note of the day and time and the name of the person you spoke to incase you need to recall this information at a later dat.

MisselthwaiteManor · 10/06/2013 15:28

There's a search box: www.mumsnet.com/Talk?showsearch=arch

MisselthwaiteManor · 10/06/2013 15:30

If you phone I would also send a letter recorded delivery outlining the same things so you have proof that you did offer them information.

TantrumsAndBalloons · 10/06/2013 15:41

You won't go to jail.

You know you did the wrong thing and now you have to sort it out.

It doesn't matter how many people are defrauding the system, it doesn't make it right, everyone that does it must be aware that there is a big chance they will get caught but take the risk anyway.

I think you are going to have to get legal advice, from the CAB. because this has been going on for almost 2 years now and the only reason you are now giving the correct info is because they are writing to you, not because you realise you made a mistake.

Contact CAB as soon as possible.

TantrumsAndBalloons · 10/06/2013 15:42

Sorry, not 2 years. I didn't read you OP properly, I thought you were still claiming now.

TheFallenNinja · 10/06/2013 16:26

Just fess up, see what they say. Some good legal advice wouldn't be a bad thing.

MoodyDidIt · 10/06/2013 17:02

oh god op what made you do that? :(

not judging as a few years ago when i was a single parent i lied about something when i went back to work, of course -someone grassed me up-- i got found out, and had to pay it back. but the reason i lied was because i was scared of not having any money. they were nice about it as i was upfront (in the end) but it was very scary and stressful

just be totally honest, as others have said. and maybe visit citizens advice. x

Hiddenbiscuits · 11/06/2013 00:21

OP my friend did the same thing and got found out about a year after her DD started school, she now pays back just a few pounds a week. Don't ignore the letter though as my friend did because they summoned her to court eventually. She saw a benefits advisor at the local council who helped her write letters to the people she owed money to, it was a very stressful time but all sorted now and she has put it behind her. Good luck

Monty27 · 11/06/2013 00:29

They'll just take it back out of current claim. Don't worry.

Lonelybunny · 12/06/2013 17:26

It's very hard when you are used to the income to suddenly not have it , however of course it's not right to do that but lets face it thousands do this and the point is what can we do to help OP now. I'm guessing if they realise u could say you forgot to notify them , if you get a penalty you will have to pay it and pay the over payment back , I do t know how it works I've not been in that position however I doubt very much it would be much worse then that .

Frontdoorstep · 12/06/2013 18:33

I would phone now and tell them what the situation is now, don't bother saying you lied or forgot to tell them, just keep it as brief as you can, tell them what the situation is now. I'm sure they have to deal with this kind of thing all the time.

You'll have to pay the money back, I would guess they'll do this by not paying you for a while rather than you paying the money back.

I think the chances of you going to jail or even court are very small, almost non existent, I would think. It's not a huge amount of money. Our prisons are overcrowded as it is, they're not going to jail someone for a relatively small sum of money, especially not someone with children to look after.

But for goodness sake tell them now, it is stressing you so much you will feel better once you tell them.

Original poster

sicknotemum · 17/06/2013 15:26

Thank you all for your replies, me and my hubby wrote to them last week telling them the situation, so fingers crossed we get a reply soon, I def feel a whole lot better now that its out there, so just have to wait and see what they come back with. I'll let you know what the outcome is. Thanks again. x

OP posts:

Shula007 · 20/08/2013 13:17

I Told the lovely people at the compliance Office I would do this. After leaving my husband earlier this year I had to submit a new single claim. After claiming tax credits over the last 4 years I was subject to a compliance check. I got the nasty letter (that is apparently a generic letter used to make people feel mildly threatened if they have been falsely claiming) and contacted my local womens aid office for help. They arranged for an emergency appointment at our local Citizens advice office within a week. The man from CAB asked me for information after gathering together (frantically as they only give you 3 weeks to get the information) wage slips, benefit awards, childcare contracts and receipts and a letter from my childcare provider highlighting that they have yet to raise invoices for July 2013, any other benfits, 3 years of P60s and utility bills and rental information. The CAB contacted the direct dial number on my letter and informed them that I was unable to find a couple of my wage slips and they confirmed that they only wanted information form April this year - not for the last 3 years as requested in their letter. My CAB person then gave me a list of all the documents that the tax credits actually wanted and I sent all of the original documents by recorded delivery on 09/08/2013.

I spoke to the office on 12/08/2013 and spoke to a really nice man who explained that the lady dealing with my claim was on her jollies but he would try to process my documents that day as I had been 9 weeks without money.

I spoke to the office on 13/08/2013 and they confirmed that my award had now been processed and to call the tax credit number on 19/08/2013 to find out about my payments - so I did and will be getting my back dated award tomorrow!!

I thought I would write this just to let you know that its not all that bad and I have read so many horror stories that I thought it was about time someone wrost something positive.

If you are a single mum looking for help then womens aid and citizens advice have been amazing and I would stronly recommend this action as it made what I had to do seem clearer . Big hugs to you all who are going through this too.

Viviennemary · 20/08/2013 17:04

You've done a wrong thing. None of us are perfect. Just say you made a mistake and shouldn't have claimed for your other DC. I don't agree with this but can't believe how harsh people are being to the OP. I agree with ring the CAB for advice.

EhricLovesTeamQhuay · 20/08/2013 17:21

I had a fuck up once with childcare (2 nurseries at same time) and they said if I had been overpaid they would have made me pay it back plus 30% as a penalty. It went up to 50% for a second offence then prosecution iirc.

sleeplesswales · 18/02/2015 14:52

Just wondering how you are now & what happened. Hope ur ok xxx

Reallyworriedmum18 · 12/03/2018 12:07

Recently had a letter from the complience office tax credits due to child care. They wanted child care reciepts, child care contract, contract of employment and wage slips. I work where i get my childcare. My provider never re registered their ofstead number and the account remained closed until we recived letters to say what had happened. The acount was closed for 6 months. Spoke to tax credits complience office who say the workers will owe the 6 month child care as it was our job to check even though we just work with the children not on the admin side. The cost of childcare is 7200 for 6 months.
I have been told to ask for a mandontry consideration and someone will look into it all.
Im not very hopefull
Has anyone else been in this situation?
What happened?
Will i go to prison?

Many thanks

bimbobaggins · 13/03/2018 09:06

This thread is 5 years old worriedmum you Will get a better response starting your own

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