Tax credits have stopped my payments, I have £20 in the bank... with money due to come out , what do I do?

[Nowtleftnow]

I can't stop crying,

They say I didn't fill a form in, I never remember getting the form, they didn't send any warning letters just nothing into bank today,

I have £20 in the bank,

they say it could be 4 weeks until I get anything!!

I have direct debits due to come out.

DH is on income support and all our money goes straight out anyway so he can't do anything.

What am I going to do?!

They said they are not handing out any 'hardship' payments at the moment and theres nothing else to do but wait.

Im going to get charged by all the catalouges Im trying to pay off, go over drawn with the bank, incourr charges,

Im so upset

They have been sending out renewals (as they do every year) for some months now, plus reminders on tv adverts and radio adverts reminding you to renew.

But initially I would phone your bank, explain the situation and ask for a small overdraft to cover outgoing payments until this is sorted.
Or if thats not an option could you get a short term loan off a family member to pay back as soon as your payments get sorted

I think they mean you did not send back the annual renewal forms - they send them out well in advance (I had mine in April for a July deadline) and do send reminders. Have they definitely got the right address?

Cancel the direct debits. Phone the companies and explain.

Can you get a temporary overdraft? I have done so before in similar circumstances and I am on Income Support so it can be done.

Apply for a crisis loan asap.

Im going to sound really stupid here but I thought because we are not working they just continue with it as , but I swear I don't have a renewal pack here and I got NO reminders of anything.

If I got a letter saying my money would stop I would have took notice as we cannot afford to not have this money!

I have a massive overdraft already, I cannot afford to up it.

We are just in so much shit already.

My life is a mess

Cancel the DD? God Im going to get non payment charges,

right I'll do that now.

go to the dwp and get a crisis loan, they will help you. ad apply for a budgeting loan to help with cataloge payments

Hang on - which is higher, the non payment charges or the unauthorised overdraft charges?

SGK we are paying back a budgeting loan already.

ok, the crisis loan can be done over the phone now, phone them mnday morning. when did you get the loan from them? if it was over 26 weeks ago you can apply again and they will work out how much you can have minus how much is left to pay

no, wasn't that long ago unfortunatly

I suggest

• ring TC helpline and check the address they have - if you really haven't had renewal pack they might have got it wrong

• work out what will cost more, missing payments or going further overdrawn

• apply for crisis loan asap

• check you getting everything you should be on entitledto.co.uk

I would def phone and double check they sent you a renewals pack, they did not send us one. Said it must have been a problem with their system. Ask them to confirm the date that they sent it and state you know there are occassions when there system makes errors. Luckily I saw the adverts and phoned them, I made it mighty clear that its a whole different story when we do something wrong but when they make errors

No other advice sorry. X

Right theres only 1 DD due to come out soon (monday) so will cancel that 1 and if the money isn't in by the time the others come round will cancel them too.

Go to Citizen's Advice or your bank and ask for help. They can cancel all your payments for now and arrange for much smaller payments over a longer period of time. Make sure you can at least pay for your home - rent or mortgage - and check out the new Government guidelines for banks which make it harder for them to repossess homes as quickly. And stop buying things on credit until you are sorted out - make do with what you have got. I hope you can work it out.

sorry but don't think you can cancel it with such short notice

I got my pack then two days later got my final reminder. I went on the website for the number and it said it was past the final date so rang them and they said no your dates at the end of the month. Words arse ad elbow spring to mind.

Hope you get something sorted