My daughter (single parent, low income in receipt of Working Tax Credit), was overpaid at the end of last September by her company to the tune (they said) of three months WTC, they asked if she would prefer to keep the pay as it was and have no WTC for the next three months, or whether she would prefer to have that months wages cancelled and repaid. The latter choice would have meant waiting an extra week for her pay, which with a 5 year old and a mortgage she couldn't afford to do, so she put the overpaid WTC in a savings account and sensibly drew a third of it out every month to go with her salary.
NOw this month her wages office is saying that the lump sum they paid in advance was too much anyway and are not paying her any WTC this month AS WELL as deducting a further 54 - leaving her with less than 200 to live on for the month - which won't even cover her mortgage.
Her pay office are unhelpful and refuse to explain further (they are also a distance away and only available to talk to via a telephone). They have also been paying the WTC as an addition to her gross pay and taxing it - a fact which the tax office don't want to know about as they say if she is overtaxed it can be put right at the end of the tax year....but for a low paid single parent (who by the way rarely gets maintainance form her ex either) this is no help at all.
The WTC helpline say they can't help - so ------ advice anyone please....or do we just wait until she can't pay the mortgage or feed her child?....sorry for that last quip but I feel so helpless and angry - especially as I live a fair distance from her and can only help over the telephone.
Thanks for listening even if no one can help.
Linda