HMRC did me over

[Guest]

I recieved a letter from the HMRC to inform me of a £398 overpayment from last year, they infomed me that they would be taking 100% of the overpayment out of my next payment which was due 4 days after i recieved the letter. I called the HMRC to state that i was in no position to lose half of my monthly payment, i was informed that if i couldn't afford the repayment i had to fill in an online form which has a 2 week response time. They have taken the payment and left me in serious financial difficulty. I don't believe they acted lawfully and would like to know if i have grounds to act.

[jcjsmc]

I recieved a letter from the HMRC to inform me of a £398 overpayment from last year, they infomed me that they would be taking 100% of the overpayment out of my next payment which was due 4 days after i recieved the letter. I called the HMRC to state that i was in no position to lose half of my monthly payment, i was informed that if i couldn't afford the repayment i had to fill in an online form which has a 2 week response time. They have taken the payment and left me in serious financial difficulty. I don't believe they acted lawfully and would like to know if i have grounds to act.

I should state it was child tax credits

[jcjsmc]

I take it they do what they like...

[des8]

In view of the urgency you are probably best of talking to Citizen Advice, as they can contact HMRC by phone for you and possibly arrange time to repay in instalments

[jcjsmc]

In view of the urgency you are probably best of talking to Citizen Advice, as they can contact HMRC by phone for you and possibly arrange time to repay in instalments

Theyve taken the money, i'm now behind on rent, council tax, i'm hungry so the kids can eat, i phoned and that was the response i got, you can make an appeal online but it has a 2 week response time and they told me 4 days before i was to get the payment, when they can allow upto 12 months to pay back an overpayment, so why was i singled out.

[des8]

I'm sorry to hear of your problems.

If CAB haven't been of any use, do use their online complaints procedure (https://www.gov.uk/complain-about-hmrc) and also contact your MP (https://www.parliament.uk/get-involved/contact-your-mp/)

CAB should also be able to help you deal with unpaid bills like rent and council tax, and point you in direction of where to obtain help locally