Unsecure chicken perches

[Cinnamon]

Why is it that every single year when I call the Tax credits people with our annual income after we have had our company books done,they seem to mess it up in some way?

 

2 years ago they made a HUGE mistake & sent up cards for free prescriptions,which I know we are not entitled to.

Just opened the mail to find that they have sent them again.............phoned them & they have got the figures totally muddled up,showing our income as less that half what it actually was

 

If they are making mistakes with me,they must be doing it to lots of people

No wonder they are paying out so much...................

 

And each time I phone it takes an age to get through to someone too.....aarrgghh!

[The Dogmother]

Don't get me started on them

[bronze]

worse still is when they pay you far too much but nothing is obvious on the paperwork then a year later they say actually we want it all back and now

[The Dogmother]

Reminds me of the misnomer of DHSS when it was once translated as 'Department of Stealth and Total Obscurity'

[Janty]

worse still is when they pay you far too much but nothing is obvious on the paperwork then a year later they say actually we want it all back and now

 

They did that to me when I got married. I spent two years not filling the forms in, trying not to claim it and trying to stop it getting paid into my account (which you can't do). They sent letters telling me that unless I completed the forms then they would stop paying me. I sent letters back saying that I didn't want it any more and that I earnt too much. Still they kept on paying me. Then, when they did decide that they had overpaid me, they wanted it back all in one lump sum. Hubby was all for paying it back as they asked but I wrote back with copies of all my letters and said that I would pay them back at the pace that they had overpaid me and that's what I did. I sent off a cheque each month for absolute yonks paying them what they had paid me each month.

[Aunty e]

They just did that to my parents - my mum is self-employed, and looks after my dad for most of the time. Tax Credit people suddenly want ALL the money they've paid over the last year and a half back, which is £1500, which is a lot for people on a very very low income. Mum rang me in hysterics. We've managed to arrange for them to pay £12 a month for the next billion years, but am cross cross cross with them right now.

[Snowy]

I've been trying to contact them for ages to arrange repayment of the £200 they have overpaid me. Not easy

[LES DUNNING]

Oh my god, dread having to phone them each year with our details. We always choose to do it directly over the phone, but still usually takes about three deliveries through the post until its correct. A mountain of paper to shred and recycle. Dread to think what all of this must cost in itself

[craftyhunnypie]

Can someone answer me a question? My sister gets tax credits. She's gone back to work for 2 days a week after having her baby. Her hubby apparently earns very little as a wage ( hmm - always has £50 when he goes out with the lads). Mother in law is the governing body over pay & is overall shareholder of the farm. (60 /40 split). They however have a 600 acre farm - which must be worth a bomb. Why oh why do they get tax credits. It's not on. On paper they are very wealthy - why are they getting topped up earnings? - erm sell some land. Der!

 

Emma.x

[The Dogmother]

I think it's probably because tax credits are assessed on your income, not your assets. They don't even ask you to declare any maintenance you might get.

[debbier]

On paper they are very wealthy - why are they getting topped up earnings? - erm sell some land. Der!

 

You'd get into means tested housing then, too?

 

Actually, I've never understood why the family allowance isn't means tested. I think that millionaires and billionaires still get that along with the people who really do need it? The whole tax system is bizarrely complicated.

[craftyhunnypie]

Well said DebbieR!

 

It really rags me off! So poor they are. Cough, cough, splutter, splutter!

 

Emma.x

[foreveryoung]

worse still is when they pay you far too much but nothing is obvious on the paperwork then a year later they say actually we want it all back and now

 

 

oh i told them to go poke it!! said if they dont know their backside form their elbows then its their problem - oh and apparently i have a flat in London - soon as i mention that if i had (as well as my 3 bed (in Kent, where i live)i wouldn't be claiming off of them then never called me back.

 

and i agree with the term - tax credits are Muppet's 110%

[paddy1709]

Can I just butt in a little over the non means tested child allowance as this is the only benefit i get and I really do appreciate it.

I don't feel that I that this should be taken away from me as I have worked through having children. In both pregnancies I worked up until the day before. I cannot leave my job as if I was out of the industry for a couple of years I wouldn't be able to enter at a later date as my knowledge base would suffer. I am lucky enough to work from home and have a very supportive boss.

I wholeheartedly support tax credits and the welfare state however I am hearing too many stories now of people who are not claiming them in the correct circumstances and this leaves less of a pot for those that really need them. They really need to sort themselves out. I know of someone who has three hotels who claims them as they are not currently making a profit ....

[foreveryoung]

Can I just butt in a little over the non means tested child allowance as this is the only benefit i get and I really do appreciate it.

I don't feel that I that this should be taken away from me as I have worked through having children. In both pregnancies I worked up until the day before. I cannot leave my job as if I was out of the industry for a couple of years I wouldn't be able to enter at a later date as my knowledge base would suffer. I am lucky enough to work from home and have a very supportive boss.

I wholeheartedly support tax credits and the welfare state however I am hearing too many stories now of people who are not claiming them in the correct circumstances and this leaves less of a pot for those that really need them. They really need to sort themselves out. I know of someone who has three hotels who claims them as they are not currently making a profit ....

 

 

I refuse to claim it - the people who work this often make mistakes - Id rather go without then end up wit phone calls stating they have made mistakes regardless of the correct info being given - where in earth did they get the london address????

 

in princible yes it should work but thertes something wrong in the system

[freddie]

I have enough paperwork from these people to wallpaper a mansion.

For the last 7 yrs I've been in a battle with them due to them overpaying, me writing to them to correct it, them denying they were, and then demanding the lot back in 30 days or court!!!

I shall be pAYING THEM WHEN BOTH MY KIDS ARE GROWN UP WITH KIDS OF THEIR OWN. I THINK. i CANT STOP THEM POSTING REAMS OF C.... P TO ME ABOUT 3 TIMES A YR, AND STILL MESSING UP THE FIGURES, ALTHOUGH I SEND THEM COPIES OF THE ACCOUNTS!! PLEASE IGNORE capitals, pressed the wrong button