Child benefits have been halted for a woman who booked a flight to Italy but did not board.

After one of her children had an epileptic seizure, the family refused to let her in at the gate, but HMRC claimed she boarded a one-way flight.

After booking a vacation to Italy, a woman's child benefit was terminated because HMRC assumed she had emigrated, despite the fact that she and her family did not board the aircraft. 

Last July, Sally, her three kids, and her partner were heading to Italy for a vacation, but they were denied boarding because one of the kids had an epileptic seizure at the departure gate. 

Records revealed that Sally had taken a one-way flight to Italy in 2024, and sixteen months later, she received a letter from HMRC tax authorities informing her that her payments for all three children were being halted.

I called the child benefit line after receiving the letter and explained the situation, but I was told I had to fill out the form and provide supporting documentation, which included letters from the NHS and the school proving we returned—even though we 

hadn't left—and three months' worth of bank statements from all of my accounts. Instead, we sent letters outlining the insurance claim along with a letter from the airline confirming that we did not fly. When I called again on Monday, I was informed that I should know the result by December.

Sally, like thousands of other people who have received these letters over the last four weeks, expressed her incredulity at being required to prove a negative—that she was not a fraudster—just because the Home Office lacked complete records. It is really annoying. The expense of cleaning up this mess will undoubtedly be much higher than the benefits they suspended, 

she said. As part of a campaign against child benefit fraud that cabinet minister Georgia Gould started in August, HMRC has sent letters to 23,500 people in recent weeks.