moneycantbuyyoulove
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You'll be fine. Write down a timeline and keep a note of every single phone call and letter, even when you try to phone and it's engaged. Be very nice and try and get whoever you speak to onside. Send them everything. Keep copies. Remember, they're not always very good at understanding complexities so keep it simple. Try not to worry - this is routine and they have to do it to a certain number of people. They are totally overwhelmed and cannot cope, but will still send out automatic demands if you don't deal with it. Unfortunately, once they've got you in the system they will probably do this every year. I think it makes their life easier. However, if you look really organised on paper - for example send numbered receipts, that will help. Whatever you do, take photocopies, and proof of postings at all times. Expect incompetence. Hail Maries help with the worry! Good luck.
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Found it! My partner has advised that I write down a timeline for every thing that has happened, which is proving a good call, if possibly the most tedious thing I have ever had to do. I wrote to them in April 2012 confirming that my childcare costs had gone down to £48 for the year. I then wrote again in November 12 and May 13 reconfirming this. I never told them my childcare costs had gone up again!
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Just gone back through my letters. The issue is that I never asked for the childcare money in the first place. I had cancelled my childcare claim with them the year before, and didn't know that they were paying me it because I got other payments from them and assumed that this was one of those. Surely they can't say it's my fault when they spontaneously decided to pay me??
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they won't make you sell your house. they have a hardship office and if you phone up and talk to the repayment people they can be quite helpful. They'll look at how much you spend - they'll ask for your food bill etc. They didn't quibble over how much I spent on food, either, although they did say it was higher than the average. I'd say that if they think you are a scrounger they can be quite mean but if they think you are a genuine individual they can be really quite nice. Fingers crossed you get someone reasonable. I don't know what happens if you're appeal fails and you think you have a genuine case. Presumably you can complain? Talk to CAB.
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Blondebubbles you aren't allowed to have an intermediary with hmrc. I have tried. I will have to find the letter. It must be somewhere!
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Hi Blondebubbles thanks so much for your reply (for some reason cag isn't sending me notifications of replies, so I've only just seen it). My childcare changed on 21st November 2012 and I wrote to say so but I cannot find the letter. They say I wrote on 3rd May. I believe I wrote 3 times over the course of that year. I then thought that since they hadn't responded to my letters the money must be child tax credit not childcare element so I spent it. (I'm not very good with finances and I suffer from bipolar disorder which makes me very scatterbrained). I didn't get a new award notice. I heard nothing. They have asked for the overpayment back - can't remember offhand how much but in the region of £7k I think. They have now asked for a further £1430 back.
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Thanks JackieandWayne, on the phone to hmrc as we speak, being told it's my problem... Have been referred to a manager, manager says to speak to someone else... someone else is engaged... Hmrc have already accepted that I cannot afford to pay anything towards the debt, still don't want another £1430 added to a debt of £7k that I shouldn't owe them anyway.
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Shaking as I type this. HMRC have just charged me a penalty for their own mistake. Basically they ignored my letters stating that my childcare had gone down, then demanded a repayment. I wrote appealing the repayment. They passed my complaint on to the disputes department (whatever the difference is). Then this morning I wake up to a letter demanding a penalty of £1500 or so stating that I had been negligent in not telling them about the change to my childcare. Surely if I have sent them all my letters AND my proofs of posting showing them that I have written to them, then I haven't been negligent? I guess this is a pre-emptive attack / counter claim to try and wriggle out of cancelling the overpayment because THEY have been negligent. A kind of attack is the best form of defence. So stressed about this now. Can't even afford to pay back the overpayment, let alone this. What do I do?
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Good. If hmrc are causing you trouble in sleeping, I have found that saying the rosary works wonders! It works a bit like worry beads; the mind can only concentrate on one thought at a time so if you are saying the rosary it's hard to be thinking about hmrc. try it! Good luck with the appeal.
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So know that feeling. But don't worry. They are just letters written by a machine. Don't be afraid to go through affordability. They are quite reasonable. They told me I couldn't afford to pay anything and referred me to the hardship committee. Whatever that is!
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hmrc say I can't appeal. help!
moneycantbuyyoulove replied to moneycantbuyyoulove's topic in Benefits and HMRC
thanks honey bee. I'd be grateful for some advice on this one if anyone knows the answer! -
Working Tax Credits stopped due to school converting to academy
moneycantbuyyoulove replied to cabbagebike's topic in HMRC
Sounds like a mix up to me. I would just explain the situation and be very firm. Be aware that sometimes hmrc make things up, so be very firm (but nice!). I'm sure they don't mean to, but they don't always know the rules. Recently they tried to transfer my debt to my partner. When he point blank refused to talk to them they backed down and admitted they can't do that. Hmmm.... -
hmrc recently wrote to me to say that I can't appeal a tax credit decision because I said in my letter that I wanted to appeal against the overpayment outstanding on my Tax Credit award. I had written to them because they erroneously overpaid me and are now asking for it back. They paid me despite my telling them to stop and as I understand it they are not allowed to ask for overpayments back when they have made a mistake like this. It was not clear that they were paying me because I received child tax credit, working tax credit and childcare element and it was only the childcare that should not have been paid but all the payments got mixed up together. So I am fairly sure that I am in the right, BUT they have now said that I can only dispute the overpayment, not appeal. I don't understand the difference to be honest. Is this right? Or should I get back to them and query the appeal refusal? All help gratefully received.
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That's good news. I found it hugely helpful to speak to someone who deals with hmrc regularly helping companies restructure their debts. They are a strange beast. The one thing I've learnt is that they can be very nice, but they don't always know the law so it's pot luck who you get. Either that or they are shameless liars! They really tried to make my partner pay my overpayment. It's an overpayment that they shouldn't be making me pay anyway, and they have absolutely no right to try and make him pay it. However, once I'd explained that to them they backed down. It helped that our finances are legally separate and formally demarcated by a trust. You have to get them on side. If you are a higher rate tax earner then as far as they are concerned you are a bad person and should be giving them money. If they think you are a benefit cheat then they will hound you to hell in a handcart. But if they think you are genuine and struggling they can be quite helpful. You can read the results so far of my case on another thread next to this one. Good luck with yours and try not to worry about it. Unfortunately we all have to live with the inconsistencies of hmrc so it's a good idea to become resilient to it. I am gradually starting to not have a panic attack every time one of their brown envelopes arrives!
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hmrc want to know my partner's income for affordability
moneycantbuyyoulove replied to moneycantbuyyoulove's topic in HMRC
So, Good News! I rang hmrc today and explained to them that my partner wasn't giving him his details and wasn't going to pay my debt for me. They accepted this absolutely no problem (they were just trying it on before). The best thing was that I told them up front that I am bipolar and after that they were much more helpful. It's almost like you have to get them on side - once I had explained that and the fact that I shouldn't have to repay the overpayment anyway, the lady was extremely nice. She took me through affordability and we established that financially I cannot afford to pay them anything. She then cancelled the direct debit that I have with them and referred me to the hardship committee. Does anyone know what the hardship committee do?? She said they probably wouldn't do anything and the onus was on me to come back to them then I was earning a bit more.
