Child Tax Credit

A question about : Child Tax Credit

Have received child tax credit for a few years and do all the checking and form filling as required. When eldest went off to Uni, I told them so they could remove him from the entitlement and all was fine.
When the statements came this year rang them as our income for last tax year had exceeded the limits (Hubby given a bonus - unexpectedly, paid in March- just before tax year end).
Told that we would owe the whole year's payments back to them but person on phone said that they would withold future payments until we paid it back. Fine.
No payments made by them since then.....today... get a letter to say that all the money is payable for last year and they want it by mid September!!
Had to ring up to say that this was incorrect and explain what had happened. Girl said that they had assumed that our income this year would be as last year and we would exceed the limit? The current limit is nowhere near our normal income and I told her so. New statement will now be sent (in duplicate no doubt again) and then I have to see what happens to the repayment of last year and ring again if necessary.
I said to the girl, once it is all sorted out I feel like saying forget it - cancel it - we don't want it anymore. She said - I can't do that. Can you believe it? Seems that once you are in the system you cannot opt out. Wish we had never bothered in the first place. I reckon they only do it to keep a tab on what you are earning, taxes and figures for the ONS.

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