I also posted this in the finance section. I posted it here as well so that more people would see it and also the lady who gave us good advice the last time I posted about our struggle.
Some months ago I wrote here about my problems with the HMRC about my claim to get tax credits. That was with a different name, because that profile got deleted and I still don't know why.
But anyway,
this is what happened and I'd like to share this with all of you. Because I wasn't getting my tax credits and the reason for it will probably make you just as furious as it made me.
To start with we're not original from England. We came here over 2 years ago when we lost our home in Holland. My husband got a job offer over here. To work in the Dutch department of a call center.
After a while we became self employed. I worked full time and my other half part-time and looked after the children.
Everything went well and we wanted to have a large family and so number 4 came. Around 20 weeks of the pregnancy I couldn't work anymore full-time. We needed extra money and discovered that we were able to claim tax credits.
But twice they lost our claim pack and twice they forgot to send us a new one. We made an official complaint, but nothing was done with that. We also followed up advise we got from someone over here. But no luck.
More then 20 weeks later after our first contact with HMRC. Finally they looked at our situation.
On the phone they told our social worker that next week the tax credits would be paid into our bank account.
We called the lady of HMRC ourselves and she also confirmed over the phone to us that we were going to get the tax credits.
On that very same day, just 2 hours later that same women called us back. With the question if we had a private health insurance.
Afcourse we didn't. At this time our money was gone and we had gone into dept. So no way we would have been able to pay for a private health insurance.
Without an apology she said that we were not going to get the tax credits. I was on maternity leave and according to their rules I then wasn't working. My husband didn't work enough hours to qualify.
I got this on paper and this is really what pisses me off!!!
Coming from the EU and you're not working, but able to financially support yourself - having a private health insurance. You would be able to get tax credits!!!!
It's to crazy for words!!!
No wonder UK struggles with foreigners coming here to sit on their bud and abuse the system.
We were able to claim it before, but we never did it, because we were able to pay our bills ourselves. The thought of looking if we could claim more never popped into our heads until the moment we needed more money.
But just because we didn't had enough money to support ourselves we were not going to get it. If we had more money we would have qualified for the tax credits.
Because of all this stress I needed more medical help and I suffer from a post natal depression. We are in dept and it'll take some time before we are out of it.
My son is just 3 months and my maternity leave should have lasted till April. But we just can't afford to be without my income for so long.
With a young baby and a depression I'm working again. Thanks HMRC!!!!
I'm furious that being on maternity leave doesn't qualify you as being at work. Yet, we've been working since the day we arrived here in England. First only my husband and not much later we both were working and paying our tax.
If they didn't make a mess of things and looked at our claim when I was still working. I worked less hours, but then I still would have qualified for tax credits. They were not going to look back at that time. They only wanted to look at the moment they finally decided not to loose our papers.
They make mistakes that have a huge impact on someone's life. But they don't try to set things straight.
And I wonder with all the extra care I received and still receive because of the impact of the stress I was under. If I didn't cost society more then I would have if those HMRC people just would have done their job right in the first place.
Although things are getting better and better now I work. Both financially and emotionally.
I still struggle with my mental health at the moment. It's difficult for my husband and my children. And I really tried not to get to stressed about it all. Still my baby has been exposed to a lot of unnecessary stress during the pregnancy.
Thankfully the birth went well and he's a healthy happy baby.
Some creditors were ok and understanding of the situation. But not all of them and I was really worried about people judging us.
There were moments I really wish I wasn't pregnant, because we couldn't afford it all. I felt so guilty that I couldn't work full time anymore.
Instead of complaining about how much migrants costs the UK. They should change these rules.
Who in the world thought it can be ok to give someone money who can support his own family to start with!!!! But secondly: Who doesn't work!?!?!?!?!?!
No work, so no tax being paid. We worked, paid our taxes. But then when we needed help we didn't got it.......... because we needed it!?!?!?!?!
I have send this to the BBC and I really hope this gets into the media. Because I think this government just can't just give money away to foreigners that don't work. And the mistakes they make are totally unacceptable!!!
Everyone makes mistakes, but you got to set them straight!!!
Especially when your mistakes have such a massive negative influence on someone's personal life and health.