screwed yet again ............in the worst way

About 10 days or so ago I got a phone call from the Inland Revenue regarding my Tax Credits. They were reassessing my entitlement regarding a letter I had written to them stating exactly when each of my sons finished school started college finished college. The reason I wrote the letter was that there seemed to be some confusion about the dates DC finished college and also the dates OJ started and finished college. It seemed that they had been paying for DC to be at college until he turned 20. He finished college aged 18. But they had only paid for OJ to be at college for 4 months instead of 2 years.



Now that their reassesment has been completed it seems that they overpaid me by several thousands of pounds. (well I can assure everyone that it certainly didn't feel as though I was being over paid!!) I don't remember being flushed with extra money. So the over payments are being clawed back from me by vastly reducing the amount I would be entitled to now. I wrote some time ago that I was now £300+ a month down on what I had been receiving (even then it was a constant juggling act to make ends almost meet). Now they have reduced my money even more so that I am now nearer to £450 per month down. Excuse me but how long does it take to read a letter and get the figures right. I could perhaps understand if I had written the letter a few weeks ago, I might just be able to accept it if they had had my letter for a couple of months but 12 months !!!!! that is just rediculous. If they had acted on my letter 12 months ago then the amount over paid would have been less and they wouldn't have to now reduce the payments I am entitled to by so much.



I am going to write a complaint and perhaps write to my MP too.



On top of that I have 3 sons who are not in eduction 2 of them sat at home all day everyday doing nothing, not earning, eating every bit of food that comes into the house, plus a third who is earning but does nothing to contribute to the home in anyway either practical or money wise. I was discussing this with my mother today. She has concluded that although my sons know we have nothing they still don't realise how poor we really are. They think they are on a par with all their friends. Maybe it is because we don't live in a council house. I have just told ET that we won't be going swimming again unless he gets a job and can pay for it. My fear now is that in 6 weeks my money will be reduced even further because I will nolonger be entitled to any money for OJ, even though it will be October before he goes to University.



Finally this week ET and OJ have got off their backsides and done a few bits around the garden like cutting back the hedge. On Monday they are both heading for the Employment Office in the hope of either getting job or at least signing on for Job Seekers Allowance although I am convinced ET is too young to be entitled to anything