tax credit overpayments

[berniecuddles]

morning all..!
right just received a letter from hm revenue stating we have been overpaid on working tax credits for the sum of £1868.06 and they want this paid back by the 16/07/2011.
they made the mistake in the 1st place have rung them so many times about this and even told them to stop paying the tax credit which in the last 6 months they have done now they want their money back we haven't got that sort of money spare I only work 20 hrs. a week and my wife at the moment does 40 hrs. a week don't know what to do, any help or info would be a great help as my wife is in a state over it. how much can we offer them a month,we can only pay £20 a month is that going to be enough for them to accept!

[Booldawg]

I think they always 'try it on' with a bank credit slip at the bottom. Not many people are in a financial position to pay back in one go.

Speak to them and explain your financial position.

[Quassia]

bernie .. take a look here .. lower down the page .. 'what if you can't pay in 30 days' http://www.direct.gov...verpayments/DG_073813

[berniecuddles]

you have to laugh my wife has just been on the phone to them to discuss what we can do and the woman on the other end of the phone said i cant help you as you have not given me enough details about your self, for Christ's sake!! you will have to make an appointment at your local tax office she said. my wife gave her every detail she had asked for i wouldn't mind it was their mistake in the 1st place, kept telling them they were overpaying us. but they wouldn't listen idiots!

[Quassia]

Hope you get sorted anyway bernie!

[bednobs]

i don't understand - if you knew they were overpayeing you why did you spend it? Not that that's the issue here now anyway. i think they'll take a payment scheme

[berniecuddles]

it was stopped redhelen they then found the right amount we were supposed to be able to claim which was then being deducted from the amount they overpaid us now we are getting nothing even though our situation has not changed.we had numerous phone conversations with the tax people who kept telling us the payments were correct but now it seems they were wrong and we owe the money still don't understand why now we don't get working tax credits when we are working the same hours and earning the same money when we were told we could claim working tax! credits!

[1eyedjack]

Some literature to browse:
http://www.hmrc.gov.u...verpayments/index.htm
and
http://www.hmrc.gov.u...-handle-txcr-opay.pdf
May I suggest that your first port of call is to satisfy yourself that the calculated award is correct and accurately takes your true circumstances into account?

[1eyedjack]

By the way, in my experience an offer of £20 per month (or even considerably less) would likely be accepted. You could be the unfortunate exception, of course. Their sympathy tends to fluctuate according to the state of the treasury's coffers, as those who have tried to take advantage of the Business Payment Support Service have recently discovered.

[boxtops]

Bernie, I don't understand why you didn't keep the money to one side if you knew you shouldn't be receiving it - or at least keep some of it? However - what's been suggested sounds fine, any offer to pay back will be better than none. I would get down to your tax office with an offer in writing - and get a reply back in writing - I never trust phone calls myself.

[kloofnek]

Bernie..I have every sympathy with you...I too..over the last year,made nunerous...and I mean...numerous..phone calls to HMRC..only to end up more confused and frustrated after being spoken to in a patronising manner.
No two representatives gave me the same answer or could not find it on the system whilst another tells me "oh yes,I have it here".In the end they had lost it!!!!!
The problem is...too many different departments at different address in different towns..each department does not know what info.they have on you...left hand not knowing what the right is doing...too many penpushers with no sense of responsibility

Makes me really cross!!!!