I have been claiming tax credits for 3 years, this year being the 3rd year. For the other 2 years the claims have been fine and have been for a single person claim. I have received a letter from Concentrix who are investigating my current tax year credits. They are saying they have evidence that someone is living with me. After I had claimed this year my boyfriend did move in with me so what they are saying is correct.. It's not right that I continued to claim and I should have made them aware but if I'm being honest I didn't even think about it at the time he moved in. I know I should have done but I didn't. Come the next years claim I would have not put in a claim as I'm unlikely to be entitled, Entirely my own fault. I have called Concentrix and said my partner does live here and asked them to stop the credits so that I don't have even more money to pay back. I suspect I'll have around £2000- £2100 to pay back if they ask for the whole year (he didn't move in until July though). Will I be asked to pay back the credits plus a fine and penalty or am I likely to be prosecuted for this? I deserve to be made to pay back it was my fault but it is the prosecution that is obviously the biggest worry. Any advice would be gratefully received. Shamefaced to say the least.

And just to say to the post you placed about uncle buck listing your options, they are not your only options, they are just the only ones they will offer you that is not the same thing at all. Contact the CCCS and in the meantime tell uncle buck you will be paying them what you can afford and that if this is not acceptable to take you to court - they won't but if they did the court would look well on the fact that you had been making payments on the account - I had dealings with uncle buck once I told them I was with the CCCS they backed off...again good luck!

I don't know if you still need advice, but if you do here's mine! I got into trouble with payday loans, I suspect you are panicking because you cannot afford to repay these buggers (insert own stronger word here). The first thing I'd say is STOP. Take a step back and look at what you can actually afford. Don't agree any rollovers - you are not reducing the balance only postponing the same problem to the next month. Contact the consumer credit counselling service, it's free and a charity. Given them the full facts - trust me they have heard worse than yours no matter what you think... Tell your creditors you are talking to the CCCS you will find most accept what you are doing. The chances are your credit file is already damaged, so don't worry about that for now. Concentrate on setting up a payment plan you can KEEP TO with the CCCS, eventually they will accept it. And remember you are only legally obliged to pay back what you can actually afford. Take a deep breath and make the call to the CCCS (or national debtline, citizens advice etc just I found CCCS the best!) Good luck make today the first day of really dealing with it once and for all!!

I got into a similar position with these people and others...can I suggest you contact the consumer credit counselling service,...Tell all the lenders you are doing this and they you will go on a debt management plan with the CCCS. They will jump up and down for a bit but eventually they will accept the repayment plan the CCCS put together for you because they know if they take you to court the court will look very favorably at the fact you have contacted a charity and tried to set up a repayment plan with them, it's simply throwing money after bad for the lenders if they go down court route though....Honestly just call the CCCS you will just feel so much better after you have spoken to them, and you feel like you are getting back in control....GOOD LUCK!!

Well good luck, but I recommend you contact the CCCS, most of my creditors listened to them and have frozen the interest, so eventually the debts will be gone, and sure as hell won't be making the same mistake again!

Well an update....the reason the payday loan company did not want to accept a debt management plan from the consumer credit counselling service is they offer their own debt management plans - for a fee! So they wanted to sell their debt management service to me get me signed up to them and pay all my debts off using their plan!....The CCCS is a charity and is FREE and therefore ALL my creditors will get more money back if I use them....Now I know what their game was I'm not in the least bit bothered about any threats they may make....I am putting all my debts into a debt plan with CCCS and will get clear as soon as I can....I cannot recommend the CCCS high enough they have been brilliant! Anyone with debt problems should call them (and no I'm not on commission!)....

No the debt plan was started after the loan, I made a token payment of £15 to them, but they would not set up a payment plan unless I paid a greater amount than this, so it's not like I wasn't trying to pay the debt down...The loan was for £150 which was due end of Jan, I was wrong to take out the loan in that it clearly made a bad situation worse, but they keep asking for larger payments than I can afford - last one being over £100 to start a repayment plan....part of me thinks lets them take it to court and see what happens, so long as I am making payments? Thanks for your help btw

Ok, thanks, can the keeping adding interest, month in month out even if we are making payments through the plan? There has to be a limit doesn't there to how long they can keep doing that if I'm making payments, if they took it down the CCJ route wouldn't a court view that as unfair? Don't know if anyone has come across this particular firm but they are quite agressive

Hi All, I'm new on here and I am really pleased I have found the site...I have got into problems with payday loans and other debts and I am in the process of doing the right thing and setting up a debt management plan with the consumer credit counselling service, however one of the payday lenders - 1st stop pay day - are saying I signed up saying I would not enter a debt management plan. I just wondered where I stood with this, can the enforce this? I could understand if it was with one of the shark like debt management companies but this is a charity and they don't take fees so they will get all the money I can afford to pay? Just wondered if anyone had come across this any help would be really really appreciated!