I've been claiming wtc when I shouldn't ?

[Ohsh*t]

So I've been claiming wtc when I shouldn't and I am terrified and feel like a rabbit stuck in the headlights.

 

I was claiming it legitimately,

living with my parents,

then I moved in with my partner for a year.

 

 

After a year the relationship ended and I moved back home but have struggled to find work since due to various health issues,

yet I've still claimed and it's just snowballed.

 

 

To make matters worse I used to work for hmrc benefits about 5 years ago

& had a breakdown due to the work which led to other health issues

finally resulting in me losing my job about 5 years ago

it's not like I didn't know what I was doing.

 

 

In my head I thought I'd be claiming other benefits anyway so why switch?

 

 

Pretty effin stupid right?

 

 

God knows what I was thinking.

 

 

I'm petrified about phoning them due to my experience with them but I know I have to.

 

*Deep Breath* I should have stopped claiming about June/July 2013 and I estimate I owe roughly £11.5k.

 

I'm scared that this admission will be traced

but I have no one to talk to about it.

 

 

I'm a terrible person,

I am so ashamed and feel so guilty.

I'm terrified that I'll get sent to prison,

be made an example of because I worked there.

 

 

My parents will disown me and I'll be the shame of the family.

 

 

I'm the quiet reliable one who hates to disappoint anyone.

 

 

My parents will be devastated.

 

 

I live with them and hid it all this time.

 

 

They think I'm on esa or jsa.

 

 

My ex-partner had no idea either.

 

I'm trying to better myself by going back to college to retrain because I can't do the job I'm already trained to do due to health,

but as I was filling in my form I realised they liaise with DWP etc.

so I'm bound to get found out.

 

Please help & tell me what to do

Edited August 18, 2015 by Ohsh*t

[bettybrush]

You haven't really given us any information.

[dx100uk]

post re instated to get help.

 

 

dx

[estellyn]

First thing to do is to end the WTC claim asap. You will need to tell them when you stopped working. You can do this by letter if you want, as I understand that phoning would be quite stressful.

 

Then you will have an overpayment. HMRC didn't used to prosecute these cases in the past, but I'm not up to date on current policy.

 

If you have a current ctc claim, then the overpayment will be recovered gradually from that. You may be able to negotiate a lower rate if recovery puts you in hardship.

 

If you don't have a ctc claim then you will need to make a repayment arrangement with hmrc. You will need to provide income and expenditure details when making the arrangement.

 

Yes, this will be stressful and difficult, but think of the relief once you have it all sorted out. And things will go better for you, if you admit what you've done voluntarily, rather than wait to get found out.

 

Once you have ended your wtc claim, you should immediately claim the relevant benefit (esa/jsa). I expect given the circumstances you won't get the 4 week run on of wtc.

[Bazooka Boo]

This is the only thing I could find regarding prosecution by HMRC, but got to go out so in a rush.

http://www.revenuebenefits.org.uk/tax-credits/guidance/how-to-deal-with-hmrc/dealing-with-mistake-and-fraud/fraud/

[estellyn]

This is the only thing I could find regarding prosecution by HMRC, but got to go out so in a rush.

http://www.revenuebenefits.org.uk/tax-credits/guidance/how-to-deal-with-hmrc/dealing-with-mistake-and-fraud/fraud/

 

Yes the guidelines on prosecution have always been there in principle, but unlike dwp or la's, hmrc rarely used to bother and just used to collect the overpayment. But that may have changed, as it's been a couple of years now since I've rep'd any tax credit cases, so I'm rather out of the loop on what is happening in practice.

[blondebubbles]

Sorry just to clarify a few points. Is it a WTC only claim or do you also claim CTC? £11.5K seems high for 2 years of WTC only unless you get CTC or the WTC disability elements.

 

What happened first, you stopping work or moving in with a partner? Whichever came first is what you need to report to tax credits.

 

If you call and report this yourself then it's unlikely further action would be taken other than recovering the overpayment. If you don't report it and tax credit compliance find out themselves then you could have penalties, prosecution etc.

 

How have you been renewing your claim each year? The renewal asks for your income figures so if you haven't been working, have you been making the figures up?

[Ohsh*t]

Thank you for your replies. I'm sorry I deleted the content of my post, I just got so scared yesterday after filling in funding forms for college and panicked posted and then regretted it, but I admit it is a relief to get it all out.

 

I'm going to write a letter today explaining that I finished work in 2013 giving my P60 details for the 12/13 & 13/14 tax years. I don't claim any ctc as I have no dependants so I'll have to do repayment plan through the overpayments team. I'm not going to claim any other benefit (esa or jsa) as I'm hoping to go to college so can't be on benefits like that during that time - that I'm aware of anyway.

 

I just don't really know what to write. I changed jobs and informed them of the change even though I should have, at that point, stopped my claim.

 

Blondebubbles - I get the lower disability element of wtc due to my health and the impact it has on the type of work I can do which is why the amount is so high. I stopped working first, then moved in with my partner. And yes, I made up the figures for this years AR (14/15) but not the previous years, those at least were the only truthful things here.

[blondebubbles]

You say you stopped work but then you say you changed jobs?

 

You don't need to give your 2012/13 or 2013/14 p60 as you should have already given these figures at the renewal for those years?

[Ohsh*t]

Yes sorry, maybe I wasn't clear in my panicked state. I stopped working with one employer, then moved in with my ex immediately after and started another job at the same time (because I had to move cities). I just updated the work details with them, not that I had moved in with a partner.

 

And yes - 12/13 & 13/14 figures are correct. It's just the 14/15 that are incorrect.

[blondebubbles]

So how long was the gap between jobs? I'm assuming less than 4 weeks if you updated it and your claim continued?

 

If so you just need to tell them the date you started living with your partner. You can do this over the phone or in writing.

[Ohsh*t]

So i typed up this letter...do you think it sounds ok?

 

"Dear Sir/Madam

 

I am writing to inform you that I have made a very grave error in neglecting to inform you of correct changes to my Working Tax Credit Claim. The information you currently hold for me is incorrect.

 

I finished work with ------- on 25/06/2013. My paye for the 2012/2013 tax year was ------.

 

Immediately after leaving ------- I then went to work for ----------- and moved in with my ex-partner at the same time. My claim with you should have ended at this point – 26/06/2013, as I was now living as part of a couple. My paye for the 2013/2014 tax year was --------------

 

Upon leaving ------- and moving in with my ex-partner I should have informed you of my change in household instead of just updating work details but for some stupid reason I didn’t and it has tormented me since then. Things have gotten out of control, I’ve buried my head in the sand and I’ve been terrified about informing you of this change.

 

My claim should have ended from 26/06/2013.

 

I am fully aware that I will have a substantial overpayment and I am fully prepared to pay it back. Unfortunately I am not working at the moment, I am returning to college to re-train and improve my job prospects as I have health issues and cannot do the work I am originally trained to do. I think this situation may have an effect on my student funding claim but I’m not sure. However I would certainly provide any income and expenditure details needed so I can fix this.

 

Please accept my sincerest apologies, I have no excuse for what I have done except I got scared after the lie and have been petrified ever since."

 

Thank you for all the help btw.

[Ohsh*t]

So how long was the gap between jobs? I'm assuming less than 4 weeks if you updated it and your claim continued?

 

If so you just need to tell them the date you started living with your partner. You can do this over the phone or in writing.

 

Yeah it was less than a week, I moved in with my ex around the same time. I can't remember exactly when so it just seems simpler to end it from when I stopped working the first job.

 

I'm terrified of phoning them. Working for them was awful, I had a breakdown which I'm over but i think there some residual PTS there. I know there are good advisors there who don't judge, but I can't take the risk of getting a horrible one that will ask lots of questions and possibly be a bit mean. I cry at the drop of a hat.

[estellyn]

wtc overpayment won't affect student funding.