Can anyone please advice me, TAX CREDITS REALLY PEE ME OFF!!! (again)

[meandboys]

Well, it all started in 2002. When the tax credits dtarted!

I will try and explain briefly but it may be long so be warned!

I had ds1 in 2002, started claiming as a single parent as i was at home with my parents and dh (dp then) was living with he's parents. Then i fell pregnant with ds2 and had him in may 05. Then i was finally given a place in october 2005 which me and dh moved in with each other and the boys. I have always done my best to keep inland revenue informed about any changes that have happened and have always returned my declarations at the end of each year.

I told them dh earnings each year from 05 to now, and i also informed them about when i went back to work and when i was made redundant.

Well then today out of the blue they have phoned me stating that i owe them a hell of a lot of money(over £6000). I have asked why it is so much and they have said the it is from previous claims from 05-06/06-07/07-08

I cant get my head around the amount they are demanding back and they have adviced me to fill out a code 26 form to appeal against there decision and they will look into my appeal, but what if they dont accept the appeal and i have to pay back all of the money. I am worrying about what i can do to raise the money, (even though i cant remember having that much of them over all these years).

I dont want to worry my dh as he is run down at the moment with work, but he knows they phoned today. So i thought i would try and get some advice on here before i lose control, which is how i am feeling.

I dont want to take it out on the boys so have asked them to spend some time in the bedroom for now, while i try and sort this mess out.

What am i going to do, i dont want my kids to suffer but that is what inland revenue is going to be doing if they dont realise that i was not at fault.

I am just so sad at the moment, i am sitting here crying my eyes out with worry.

At to top it all of, i am waiting to hear back about a job i applied for (which will mess this situation up even more!)

Sorry for the long post but just needed to get it out and see what advice anyone can give me!

Do you know if you owe them the money cause they overpaid you? I was overpaid - not by that much but they gave me loads of time to pay it back and there was no real pressure form them providing you agree to a minimum ppayment that you can afford. The difficulty is I never understood why I owed them any money and am sure I gave them all the right info and dates etc but it is so hard to prove any different. Before you agree to pay anything I would get the info together and sit down with someone in your local tax office and go through with them - a lot easier than trying to sort over the phone.

I cant work out where they are saying that i owe the money. They said they previous declarations were not sent back which is why they are asking for previous years, but i am sure i returned them!

I am just so confused, i dont where i stand in my situation. I have visited a local tax office in 03-04 tax year (that closed down whilst my problem was going on) but the lady said that the problem was sorted just before the place closed down and the overpayment had been sorted! But i dont have anything of her to prove that it was sorted

I cant really travel anywhere to see someone so the only way is over the phone or by letter, unfortunatly!

I just wished they never bloody started this Tax credits, because i have problems with them every year with out fail!

Well tax credits as they are now weren't around in 2002. They started 6 April 2003. From what you've said you were claiming as a single parent when actually you weren't? That would explain why you're overpaid.

Without more info (why do they say you are overpaid?) it's hard to suggest anything.

i was with my dp, and we was not living together at that time, and i told them that which was why i was claiming as a single parent, they told me this was correct when i 1st applied for tax credits!!

They are saying that they have not recieved my declaration for the last 3 years, and i am 99% sure that i returned them!

I have now recieved a appeal form which i am going to fill out and send back to them, and see what happens from there, there is no way we can afford to pay back the amount they are stating we owe!