I can't take this any more - tax credits

[TheFool]

First they missed off a number from DH's wages, which made it a stupid amount and told housing benefit that we got loads of wtc so they cancelled our housing.

I have finally gotten the RIGHT award notices through, and they say they have over paid us by £5k last year and they are taking it back from our payments this year. It drops us by a couple of hundred a month.

We need this money to live on.

How have they overpaid us when I have updated them constantly throughout the year of any changes?

They now say I am entitled to no childcare costs when they were paying about 80% before (one of the things they have decided was wrong).

I don't understand how they can have been paying us so much wrong. I don't know how we are going to survive.

On top of that, I now need to send housing the right details, plus argue with them about my self employed earnings form, and I have suspected swine flu and haven't slept properly for coughing in a week.

I'm too tired to see a way through this.

What a nightmare. I am sure they have fucked ours up too, they suddenly started paying us significantly more, and we got NHS excemption certificates through, I have no idea why because we haven't told them of changes. It really annoys me that the whole thing is so complicated and then they mess it up and suddenly the government has put you in debt, if you don't claim then they won't backpay, but if you get too much you have to pay it back straight away. Why can't they just sort it out through the income tax system automatically?

The most frustrating thing is that I am trying to do the right thing and work for myself to earn some money (ok, not actually earning anything...), and they now tell me that I am not entitled to any help with a teeny bit of childcare so I can work without a 3 yr old around.

I can't offer any advice but I can say that I feel for you

on hold - looked at update from march and there is no sign of this 5k.

still can't work out why i no longer qualify for childcare - will be my next question

5k is an error

now onto childcare

I feel for you! I have had problems with them, they overpaid me last year all because they left dh's salary out when I renewed last year so they overpaid me and wanted to keep giving me a payment of £7 which would then mean I would owe them even more money (I told them to shove it up their arse not bother with those payments!)
I have also called them every time a change has happened and now they are asking for details of when dd stopped nursery etc I ended up hanging up on a woman earlier and will ring back tomorrow when I Hae found every exact detail of everything they may need to know

Thats good, gosh all that worry.

We actually have an overpayment of £96 which is doable.

BUT she doesn't know when it will change, so this month at least we are still £200 less and we're meant to be going on holiday on 1st Aug

Childcare - DH's pay is just over the threshold.

I still have no idea how to work out how much everything is dropping by. I have no idea if we can struggle to get DS's nursery fees - he loves it there

Right now though, I think selling off stock and shutting up shop is my best move. I didn't mind so much running a not very successful business when I was getting childcare costs out of it, but now, it is just a lot of work for nothing

It's really helpful when they tell you that you've been over paid but they don't tell you how they calculate the payments so you can't see if they've made a mistake or not.

They just say 'You're entitled to this amount but you've been overpaid this amount (that we've plucked out of thin air) which we're going to take back from future payments which will leave you up shit creek but we won't tell you how we've worked it out so you can't challenge us - hahahahahhaa!!!!!'

for you. Idiots.

I can't tell you how much trouble I have had with Child Tax Credits. I wouldn't want to thread hijack but just the sight of one of their envelopes on the doormat makes my stomach churn!

They can send you a thorough written statement detailing your payments and why they think you have been overpaid. Phone them and ask them for this. Check they have got all of their facts right.

In the future, photocopy everything you send them, date it and keep a diary of when you spoke to them and what you told them.
This clear facts will give you a much stronger case should you need it.

Try not to stress too much about overpayments initially. Ask for the detailed explanation and that should put everything on hold for now.
Any more money that they give you (especially random lump sums) stick in an account you don't use and leave it alone! I have done this for the last year and am so glad that I did - they have asked for it all back plus a little extra. I also updated them every time anything changed. I am not self-employed or anything else more complicated! I've just had a few pay rises in a year.

I have been to Adjudicators and to hell and back with these people! I won in the end....because I was in the right and kept details of everything. They would have ignored me and kept demanding money if I hadn't kept on. They are bullies. I received a letter the week before Christmas to say that bailiffs would be knocking on the door if I didn't arrange payment immediately.

Don't just assume they are correct because they are a government department.

Good luck & hope you feel better soon.

Yes my sister has experienced this. Her husband is self employed and their accountant used to fill in all the forms etc...

Her eldest is now 19 so not entitlted and she has been told she too owes £5k.

She rang the TC up and set up a direct debit and is paying back £200 a month for the next 2 years.

Im furious at her for not going back to the accountant as it is HIS ERROR - just cant help some people can you!!