Am I in trouble??

[sleepover]

Have posted this in 'Money' too but figured the 'relationship' girls stay open later.
Am worried.
EX DP and I decided to split last may 2009. We ahve 3 kids(eldest aged 9 from my previous marriage)
We decided not to tell the kids just then as he had just accepted a job overseas and they were a bit wobbly about that, and we thought that telling them about a split wouldnt help them any.
I set the wheels in motion to claim child tax credit as a single person and not as a couple, and that was in place almost immediately.
EX DP came back at Christmas, and then decided to terminate his contract overseas, as had missed the kids too much.
He continued to pay the mortgage and all bills(as he had when he was away) and also gave me maintenance for the kids(I am unemployed) on the understanding that he would not be so generous when I was in employment(which I will be in Sept)
When he came back at Christmas he stayed here(we have 5 bedrooms and he slept in the spare room -which he had for a long time, so nothing unusual to the kids there)
He then got a job in London, which he has had since. He comes back every saturday morning to see the kids and goes back every sunday afternoon(still in the spare room)That has been since Christmas 2009
We ahve decided to try and make things work now, and I have rung the child tax credit people to say that I no longer want to claim as a single person, but as part of a couple. They asked me how I had supported myself in the time that he was gone and I told them the truth, CTC and Child benefit and payments from EX DP.
They explained that CTC would stop etc and they would be in touch.
Got in tonight and there is a letter from them. Basically asking for more info regarding any income or benefits I may or may not have been receiving.
I am worried because the forms reference is 'impCourt' - does that mean impending court???
I realise that I have been very lucky in that my EX DP/DP has been so generous. Nobody asked who was supporting me originally, and I really didnt see that I was doing anything wrong.
Was I?

I have visions of being chucked in jail and not seeing the kids.

Thinking back to last year when I was on the phone making my claim, I remember being very upset and wondering how I would make ends meet etc. The guy told me that I could claim income support and housing benefit and in fact sent me a list of local properties up for rent. He said there was no rush to do that an in fact I didnt have to if I didnt want to. I told him that we were still in the house together but in different rooms until something was sorted accomodation wise etc and he said that was fine. I suppose when that job came up and he went I just figured it was sorted. I didn't claim those other things because I didn't think i was entitled to them. Didn't need housing benefit cos he was payin the bills an mortgage, didn't need income support cos I didn't have an income. I suppose I just thought I was one of the lucky ones. It was all amicable for the kids, and I was claiming CTC cos I was entitled to it.

Stop digging please, this is why you need advice, guilt or whatever aside, stupidity is not an excuse. I am being blunt as that is how the CTC will see it.

Your received advice on what you COULD get if he moved out and stopped being financially responsible for the household. That never happened so you would never have been able to claim hb/is. But you did dishonestly put in a claim for single credits. Intened or not that is the case.

How did you think that one phoncall inquiring about benefits and DH getting a job abroad made you a single parent? It didn't.

You habe a verbal agreement to seperate that is it. He went abroad and supported you as if you were a couple with one working abroad.

Geez when Hubs goes away for 6 months and takes a load of his stuff and I make a phonecall then declare myself as single to get more TC, even though he still pays everything and we are very much a couple and he will come back here at the end of his deployment.

OFC not it would be fraud! Do you understand how bad you are making it all sound? get advice now.