Tax Credit Overpayment
Because of the credit crunch and recession, the Government has tripled its resources into Benefit Fraud and Tax Credit Fraud enquiries.
It is not when if they catch you but when.
Consult the experts. For more information or a free legal opinion telephone 020-7381-8111 (24 hour service) or email law@rhplaw.co.uk
If you are in trouble for having wrongfully claimed tax credits, we can help.
We have an excellent track record in avoiding prosecutions – We can help you even if the prosecution process has started.
We have great success in getting the HMRC, to look at cases again, and exchange a civil penalty, for a criminal prosecution, even if one has begun.
There are four reasons that the Tax Credit Office may charge a penalty:
- You have fraudulently given the wrong information on your tax credits claim – that is you deliberately gave the wrong information
- You’ve negligently given the wrong information on your tax credits claim – that is you didn’t take enough care to make sure the information given was correct
- You didn’t tell the Tax Credit Office about changes in your circumstances when you should do so
- You didn’t give the Tax Credit Office the information or evidence they ask for
A civil investigation is not a prosecution BUT the Tax Credit Office will charge a financial penalty of up to £3,000.
If they ask for information and you do not supply it, they can charge you £60 a day until you do!
We can help you avoid this
We can help you to co-operate with them and tell them all the facts and they will consider lowering their penalty.
Criminal investigations
In some serious cases you can face criminal prosecutions by the Tax Credit Office. Common sentences include:-
- imprisonment
- community service orders and/or
- confiscation of assets
As a minimum you will get a criminal record.
We have a high success rate in negotiating and successfully defending these claims, or otherwise obtaining the best possible outcome, i.e. the re-payment of the tax credits claimed, with payment terms, without a criminal prosecution or even a caution.
We can prepare a statement with you in our office, to avoid a stressful tape-recorded interview by the Fraud Enquiry Office or police.
People break the law for all sorts of reasons. For some, the pressures of family life can push them into situations from which they find it hard to escape from.
At Hylton-Potts Legal Consultants we understand this and how sometimes people can get themselves into unfortunate situations. The work we do is more than just a job for us, and we work tirelessly to always get the best outcome for our client.
Hylton-Potts – We can help – We are on your side
At Hylton-Potts we can further reduce a sentence by making representations as to the circumstances of the offence and how the fraud began, what the money was spent on and particular special matters relevant such as family breakdown, illness or disability. If a client has committed a benefit fraud in order to feed their young family, then we can ensure this is taken into account in sentencing and given full consideration by the court.
Pressure from others such as bullying by partners, forced marriages, not understanding the regulations, poor English, medical problems and full cooperation, are all factors we can help you with, to get the best possible result
