Big blow just before my Florida Holiday

[Julie-Anne Hennessy]

Just had a really big blow tonight. Got my payslip at work, and only got £60 Working Tax Credit, making me £90 short on my pay. Thinking this was a mistake I phoned Inland Revenue, and wish I hadn't! Apparently I've been overpaid since April, and instead of taking the overpayment off me a little bit at a time, they've just stopped it! So, from now, until April, I will be £150+ down on my income! And as a single parent, that's gonna make a hell of a difference. And to happen 3 1/2 weeks before my holiday and just before Christmas, I'm gutted!

I don't know if there is anyone out there can give me any advice, on maybe appealing? But any help will be greatly received. I simply can't afford to lose that money. It's really put a damper on my holiday and Christmas, as now, I'm going to have to watch the pennies. I don't get that much money to start with, and now they've took it off me.

Not a good day!

 

[Miffy2003]

I wish I had some advice to give you but I'm afraid I don't

Just wanted to say I hope things work out for you!

 

[KayleeUK]

I don't have any advice either, but I have heard of this happening to others too

 

[Fantasia Sam]

I'm sorry no advice from me either - I just wanted to give you a {{hug}} and wish that this news had come at a better time or not at all

 

[TraceyL]

Unfortunately it happens a lot

I deal with the payroll of a lot of part time, minimum wage workers so I've seen many people have wtc stopped or tax reclaimed in huge lumps.

 

[Mrs Dazzle]

Mine's been docked my full £135 per month. So far DH's seems to not have been touched, but given he does over 50,000 miles per year thus has a company car, the tax man takes most of his salary anyway

When I phoned the Inland Revenue, their reasoning I had been overpaid was because "my circumstances had changed during the last tax year". Oh no they hadn't. I'd not worked for 18 months, but only started by new job on 19th April THIS year, therefore in THIS tax year. It's actually probably not worth my while working! Sorry, you can probably tell from the tone of my response how p%%%%%d off I'm getting just writing about it.

Their mistake in the first place, they say!

What really concerns me is how many other people are being paid wrongly, or goodness only knows what mistakes they've made on their calculations.

I despair of the Inland Revenue.

 

[TraceyL]

How to appeal

 

[wils]

No help just hugs !

I'm sorry

Jo

 

[shellbell]

This has happened to a few of the girls at work because of the overtime we do. We don't want to do the overtime but we have to so this means we all get over paid. I am waiting for them to stop mine. Do they write to you and let you know?

I'm really sorry to hear thats this has happened to you before your holiday and so close to christmas. I hope you get something sorted

Michelle

 

[Julie-Anne Hennessy]

Thank you to everyone for their kind words and support, and Mrs Dazzle, looks like you're in the same boat? It stinks! I'm going to appeal, though it probably won't do any good? But, why can't they contact you to make some arrangements for repayments or even warn you its going to happen, so you can try and prepare yourself? (No Shell they don't warn you! They just stop it dead!)

I really don't know what I'm going to do, with that kind of cut? I was going to put in to buy my council house next year, but that's going to have to be put on hold.

You struggle on, trying to bring up a child on your own. Working, so that your not claiming benefits like single mothers have the reputation of doing! But that's probably the best way to be, eh?

It's really knocked the stuffing out of me.

Sometimes I hate this country.

 

[Tron[ADS]]

I used to work in a benefit delivery area, and now on fraud detection (the outsourced IT side of things).
Unfortunately, If an overpayment was made (and you dont seem to be disputing this), then the govt are well within their rights to reclaim the balance in such a manner. I myself got an overpayment on my Child tax credit when it started last year. where they were paying me 4x what they should have been, and unfortunately they noticed (I wasnt going to say anything), and my credits were significantly reduced for the rest of the year.
The key thing to remember is that as long as you filled in the forms truthfully, you cannot be asked to repay any lump sums of money that you have already been paid......well you can be "asked", but you dont have to - they rely on good will. The dept can, and will if they have to, put the overpayment down to "official error" and cease benefit until its been recovered. If the benefit were to cease during the repayment period, you do not have to pay it back, and they will write it off as "official error" again.
It is a different matter if there is fraud involved of course, not that mentioning this is relevant in your case.

 

[kazzie]

Julie-Ann
I think if it was me in your position as a single parent I'd be very tempted to give up work

You are working very hard not just being on benefits and being barely any better off,if you are going to lose this money you'd probabaly be better off on benefits,what incentive is this for single parents to work and be independant?

 

[Cochise]

I do work in Operations Support with the DWP. My good m8 Tron is correct on official error overpayments but if that was the case they would not have just started to take it, they would have sent you a letter to pay it back from your good will. I think you need to look into the reason for the overpayment with them and request a breakdown of this. We too have suffered from this policy on recovering overpayments where they take all the award as repayment but i cannot comment on my opinion of this unfortunately.
Hope you get things sorted with them.

 

[Julie-Anne Hennessy]

Thank you all again for the advice given. I was sent out COP26 "What happens if we have paid you too much tax credit?" which I have read and decided to put in an appeal. As I've said, I don't dispute it, and I've had it explained to me, the overpayment was from 2 years ago??? But, I do not agree with them taking it off me, with no warning and no consideration into my circumstances. The COP says that you can appeal if the cease of payment is going to cause hardship to you and your family, which it will. And, I am willing to pay the overpayment back, but at a rate I can afford?

So, wish me luck everyone, and maybe I can get this sorted out?

 

[KayleeUK]

Good luck Julie

 

[wils]

I hope you can sort it so that you can repay the money at an affordable rate!

Good Luck

Jo