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Partners ex has been claiming tax credits on his behalf

11 replies

Amylouise82 · 28/01/2015 20:31

Hi all, my partner recently moved in with me and last week he received a letter which was sent to his parents address from tax credits. The letter was a statement for a child/ tax credits claim in his name and his ex partners name. He split from his ex in October 2012. He assumed she would change the claim as she dealt with it all and all money went into her account. She never did and carried on claiming/ signing his signature on the renewals each year and claiming that they were both receiving benefits. As soon as my partner received the letter he rang tax credits and told them everything. They are now saying because he didn't contact tax credits when he left he is half responsible and will need to pay half of the money back. Her claim has now been cancelled and she will have to pay the other half. I can partly understand him being responsible for the claim from the time he left until the time she forged his signature to keep claiming on his behalf but surely for the rest of that period she is solely responsible? ? The stress this is causing is unbearable. We have a baby due in July. I already have two children with an ex partner who I don't receive child maintenance off as we have our own agreement that he uses that money to take them on days out and to take them shopping etc so he can enjoy his time more with our children voice versa. His ex has caused us nothing but upset. She has sent endless abusive and threatening texts. Constantly threatening to stop her ex from seeing his son and now this. Can anyone offer any advice as we just don't now where to turn. We barely manage as it is and we both work full time. Thank you in advance x

OP posts:
taxi4ballet · 29/01/2015 20:34

She forged his signature? That's fraud, contact the police.

Amylouise82 · 31/01/2015 22:01

Hi, thank you for replying. My partner contacted the fraud team but they said as it was a government issue they wouldn't deal with it. I've read that you are supposed to phone tax credits and ask for a dispute form which he's going to do. I feel like our hands are tied. It's so frustrating :(

OP posts:
Rummikub · 31/01/2015 22:04

But wouldn't ex have received more in tax credits without him as part of claim? Wonder what the benefit was to her.

FuckYouChrisAndThatHorse · 31/01/2015 22:05

But surely she'd get less money for a joint claim Confused and why would she put down his parents' address for contact if she was trying to hide things?

This makes no sense.

Llareggub · 31/01/2015 22:08

I don't understand either.

FuckYouChrisAndThatHorse · 31/01/2015 22:09

Is it more likely that this is an historic over-claim from 2012, and hmrc have only just tracked him down?

Amylouise82 · 01/02/2015 11:00

When they lived together neither of them were working. The information on the letter is that they're claiming income support. We don't know why a letter was sent to his parents address but she has just moved house and moved in with her new boyfriend. I'm not that familiar with tax credits to be honest. .. But I assume two people living together with a child and not working would be able to claim more? If not then I don't understand why she would carry on claiming as a couple and receiving less? ? I know tax credits have stopped her claim completely now. My partner has been in paid work since he split with her and hasn't received any benefits. From what I've managed to find out he now needs to fill out a dispute form. The fraud team won't help as it's a government issue and they only deal with commercial Xx

OP posts:
MinceSpy · 01/02/2015 11:03

Don't let the police fob you off,government or not it's fraud and they are obliged to investigate.

fairgame · 01/02/2015 11:08

She would get more money claiming on her own as she would qualify for the lone parent element.
I would contact the CAB and get some advice from them. It's not fair that he has pay back money that he has never received!

Amylouise82 · 02/02/2015 22:07

I thought that too that she would get more money but a letter he received over the weekend says it's estimated at a 3,000 overpayment so far. The letter states that they are both still a couple and they're both claiming income support. Both of these are untrue he's been working for 3 years and they've been split up for 3 years. We've had nothing but grief from her. I still have saved Facebook messages that she sent me threatening to beat me up. My partner still has saved texts from her. .. Very abusive and nasty. She stopped after I threatened to get the police involved. We tried to go to the CAB today after I'd finished work as we wanted to go together but we're unsuccessful as their opening hours had changed. They gave us a number to ring tomorrow to see if we could get an appointment. So we're going to do that. Thank you for your replies Xx

OP posts:
lougle · 02/02/2015 22:30

The lone parent rate and the couple rate is identical. There would be no difference in payments.

However the fact that one claim should have stopped and the other started, means that an over payment has been made simply because it should have been declared. There is an offsetting rule that allows for the two to cancel each other out, but it may be too late for that.

www.cpag.org.uk/content/tax-credits-offsetting-overpayments

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