Debbie Balandis, 40, received a letter from the UK’s tax agency, HMRC, and it said that her £140 per week child tax credits were being stopped because they found out about her new relationship with Martin McColl. Martin McColl’s name showed up on her bank statement and that is how the HMRC found out.
However, Martin McColl isn’t a man dating Balandis. Martin McColl is actually the trading name of RS McColl. It is the name of the local corner shop and post office where Balandis goes to collect her benefits.
Balandis called the HMRC to tell them that Martin McColl wasn’t a name of a man she was seeing, but the place she goes to collect her benefits. However, she was told that she would need to prove that Martin McColl wasn’t her lover who lived with her.
Balandis will have to write to the HMRC again and try to sort out the misunderstanding.
A spokesman for the HMRC said that the agency does regularly check that people’s circumstances have not changed, as this is to ensure that they don’t overpay tax credits.
The spokesman added that they allow people a full 30 days to reply to letters that they send out to them, but if they don’t hear anything back after 30 days, then payments are suspended. When the claimant provides the HMRC with the requested information, then payments are reinstated, where appropriated, according to the spokesman.
