To wonder if you can just end a Tax Credits claim?

[MidwifeyForLifey]

Sorry, posting here for traffic.

I'm so fed up of HMRC. I really feel like the whole tax credit thing isn't worth the hassle. It really isn't.

I've got another letter today of a worrying nature. Something about 'are you sure you should be claiming as a single person?'

How do I stop getting any more money from them? I don't want a single penny more. I just want done with it. I'll be fine with my salary.

It's causing me a lot of anxiety and stress. I was asked for a load of paperwork a month back, which literally asked for 30 different things for me to send in to make sure my claim was correct. The number 30 isn't an exaggeration.

My small DC can tell I'm always worrying and I've just had enough.

I know what you mean, they seem to change things and it can all seem vague and stressful. However it is a shame to miss out on money when you have small DC- also tax credits for new claims don't exist anymore and it would be Universal credit if you stopped it and had to reclaim That may well be even more stressful!

I find the online tax credits chat helpful and easy to use, also they are quite helpful on the phone (better than DWP) - why not call them and they can maybe reassure you, before doing anything?

Home I don't want them anymore - I don't get much a month from it anyway so it won't make much of a difference.

I feel far better not having any money from them, but I can't seem to find a lot online about just cancelling the whole thing

Lots of people have got that letter recenly, it's a standard fishing letter. If you are single you can ignore it.

If you do want to stop your claim you just ring them up and tell them, you will probably still have to do your renewal for the tax year as it will confirm your income and entitlement to the money you have already had.

Also, if you are claiming correctly (as single person and that is what is says) don't worry about it. It is just in case as some people aren't...there is no need to worry if all is correct.

Just rind them and tell them or do in online chat, they're good at updating stuff.

But be aware about the UC thing. I mean if you are stable in income, but in case it falls may be better to keep it going in case of having to claim UC instead...

Oh, also other stuff like you can get free prescriptions and do Help to save as well..

Help to Save is still available to me if I cancel tax credits. Once you got it, it's yours.

My situation is quite complex. I'm single but still living with ex husband. We live separately within the same house and do not share bedrooms, food or anything else. I am actually confined mostly to upstairs with our DC. The atmosphere is tense.

I can't get out. Council won't help me, as I have a roof over my head. There's no way for me to go, I don't have the money to live on my own at the moment.

This situation does worry me as although it's all above board (I've triple checked, I'm certainly entitled to claim as a single person), it is obviously more suspicious than an outright single parent living on their own.

But I'd be okay without TC. And to be honest, I'm starting to think they really aren't worth the sheer stress.

Hi there all,

We're moving this to Money Matters at OP's request.

Hi op,
I'm in similar position to you married but living in same household as just cannot afford to move out. We live separate lives. I moved in with parents for a while but didn't work so I am sort of back and forth but I too received this letter and now I'm thinking am I claiming correctly, have been told previously it is ok

I cancelled my tax credits last year. I phoned them up and said I wanted to end my claim. They couldn’t have been less interested in the reason why and told me I had a small overpayment for the 2 months I’d received for the new year which I paid back and never heard another thing.
I was similar to you that I wasn’t getting that much and I’d heard so many horror stories about thousands of pounds of overpayments that i wanted to manage without them

Flowers Thank you so much! I'll be calling up.

brighton Sorry you're in a similar ordeal

I too will never claim again. I was in tears on the phone to them. Turns out the phrase I needed was "I would like to withdraw from tax credits". I can't tell you how many calls it took for them to understand stand that I didn't want to hear from them anymore.

When I sacked off my claim I got a right stroppy dude asking me for the new income details. I told him I didn't want to claim but he wouldn't have it until I agreed to him sending me new forms...which I never sent back. I had a couple of months overpayment to pay back and that was that.

Just ring them up but they'll make you pay something back guaranteed.

I cancelled mine for similar reasons 7 years ago.
I was so sick of them increasing only to declare an overpayment, that at one point saw me take out a loan to cover 3 months of nursery fees (2 kids under 3). Every time they put a lump sum in I'd panic so in the end phoned to stop them, the relief was unbelievable - I think I lost about £100 a month, although a year later my partner (now husband) moved in so I was fortunate I didn't need to reclaim at any point.
If you don't need them I understand stopping them

I read someone on here say don’t touch tax credits with a barge pole unless you are desperate