APPENDIX
A Ballymena client received a letter on 22 December
2005 dated 5 October 2005 regarding a non-recoverable overpayment.
The client disputed the case in July and this was not resolved
until December. This process involved the burau having to contact
HMRC on nine separate occasions.
A Ballymena client had received an overpayment
due to cohabiting yet claiming as a single person. She arranged
to pay back the overpayment at £50 per month. The client
then received further letters giving different overpayment amounts
and asking her to pay these back even though she had set up a
repayment arrangement. In addition to this HMRC had wrongly input
her income thus making the overpayment higher than it should have
been. The client was also entitled to the disability premium and
this was taken off her original award for no reason.
A Coleraine client received and overpayment
for £1,000 due to an element of childcare that she informed
HMRC that she was no longer entitled to. Her award was adjusted
and five months later HMRC added this onto her award in April
and the client did not realise as she was not informed of this.
A Newry couple had an overpayment of £1,800
from tax year 2003-04. They received 16 different award notices
in one year and no explanation of how the overpayment arose. The
client's have been unable to ascertain how and why the overpayment
has arisen despite contacting HMRC several times. The bureau has
to use the client's P60 in an attempt to calculate the exact amount
of tax credits they should have received with a view to challenging
the decision.
A Rathcoole client called to the bureau on 27
January. She had lodged her dispute form in November and has received
no further information on this and just keeps getting letters
stating that her award has been terminated as she has an overpayment.
The bureau contacted HMRC and was told that computer errors have
caused this. The client was advised to ignore any further letters
until her overpayment was investigated. The client had to make
a fresh claim as she had no tax credits.
A Ballymena client works 31 hours per week,
earning approximately £13,000 per annum. The client's husband
has been in receipt of Incapacity Benefit for five years. The
client has one dependant child aged 12. The client brought in
all the award notices in relation to CTC/WTC showing a total WTC
overpayment of £3,244.98. The client had already been advised
the overpayment arose in part of the disability element being
paid in error, but the client has never received a full explanation
from HMRC that she can understand. The client states that she
never told HMRC that her husband was receiving DLA and the client
has already requested a copy of her original claim form be sent
to her.
A Ballymena client received a letter from HMRC
saying recovery of the overpayment is being suspended while the
dispute is ongoing and no decision has yet been made. There is
not date on this letter, but it was received on 14 November 2005.
The client then received a letter from HMRC saying the dispute
was being looked into and recovery suspended, but HMRC told the
CAB adviser over the telephone that the overpayment has already
been written off. Conflicting information coming from HMRC which
is confusing to the client and the adviser.
February 2006
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