Mat pay messed up

[pleasehelpmesortthisout]

When I found out I was pg I went on entitledto website to see how it would affect my financial situation. It said I would get x amount from tax credits.

I filled in my maternity pack with my line manager and went on maternity leave.

I had the baby and a bit of pnd too

Have mostly ignored statements etc as the amount in my account has roughly been what I expected from going on entitled to, ie mat pay and tax credits.

Have had my tax credits annual form through and they haven't been giving me the correct amount (too low)

Hve checked through statements and I have been receiving lower tax credits (pre new baby amount), no child benefit and full pay instead of mat pay (only part time hours so not a huge difference)

I'm terrified that my employers are going to say I have to pay it all back in one go. I can't afford to do that as it's been spent as it's money that I thought should be in there from tax credits and child benefit.

How do I sort this out?

Sympathies re the tax credits scenario - they couldn't organise a piss up in a brewery IME. I would imagine as your employers administer your salary it's up to them to ensure they get it right and they should not penalise you for their mistake. That's the way I'd play it anyway. Good luck.

is the entitledto website actually 100% accurate? or does it just give you a rough idea?
if you think it's wrong you need to call them and ask (tax credits)

the child benefit iirc you have to send a form back? did you do that? i think i got my form in one of my hospital packs when I had ds.

as for your pay, you need to speak to your manager and see what she says.

Thanks for replying. I've been pretending this hasn't happened since I found out as it just makes me feel sick at the though of trying to get it all sorted.

Pretty sure entitled to accurate. Tax credits say they never had anything notifying them of the birth. Which they did btw.

With birth of earlier child, child ben changed automatically, I never filled anything in.I thought it happened from notifying tax credits.

I'm feeling overwhelmed by this. Really struggling to talk on the phone at the moment (pretty ironic as I spent 80% of my time at work doing just that!)

oh i know that feeling of wanting to hide from it only too well.

unfortunately i think phoning the relevant people is the only way to sort it.
do you have any time when the kids are't around when you can sit down in quiet and get it sorted?

Tax credits and child benefit are seperate. You have to send back the form to register your child to get child benefit. (sister has had 3 children, and always fills in form & sends back)

I can tell you for sure that child benefit/tax credits are not linked because we are now living in Oz and have successfully cancelled CB, but the tax credits people don't seem to have a clue what they are doing!!! (and both were informed at the same time) Fecking useless arses!

How old is the baby ? Child benefit is only backdated 3 months from your application, you should have been given the form once you'd registered the birth.

hi, have ytou managed to sort this out yet? was thinking about you last night