View Full Version : Tax Credits and Inland revenue
ShelleyCowie
14-Apr-09, 22:40
Dont want to take another thread off topic so starting this.
I really dont understand Tax credits to be honest. I never even knew i was entitled to tax credits until my son was nearly a month old.
I have read over and over all the stuff about tax credits and run through the online calculator they have to see how much i will be entitled to when my maternity pay stops. I just dont get it.
Im not entitled to much at all. Same as im not entitled to any other benefits.
But can someone break it down (dumb it down) for me please!
I have seen so many people be overpaid and dont want that to happen to me.
Dont want to take another thread off topic so starting this.
I really dont understand Tax credits to be honest. I never even knew i was entitled to tax credits until my son was nearly a month old.
I have read over and over all the stuff about tax credits and run through the online calculator they have to see how much i will be entitled to when my maternity pay stops. I just dont get it.
Im not entitled to much at all. Same as im not entitled to any other benefits.
But can someone break it down (dumb it down) for me please!
I have seen so many people be overpaid and dont want that to happen to me. Just claim for everything, Shelley, you're bound to get something.:lol:
mums angels
14-Apr-09, 23:08
Dont want to take another thread off topic so starting this.
I really dont understand Tax credits to be honest. I never even knew i was entitled to tax credits until my son was nearly a month old.
I have read over and over all the stuff about tax credits and run through the online calculator they have to see how much i will be entitled to when my maternity pay stops. I just dont get it.
Im not entitled to much at all. Same as im not entitled to any other benefits.
But can someone break it down (dumb it down) for me please!
I have seen so many people be overpaid and dont want that to happen to me.
You may find that you are entilted to nothing or very little if your partner earns over a certain amount . We were in that situation but were told with our 3rd child that because you have a child under one we were entitled to a certain amount so we did claim for him but after the year was up they wrote and said we had to pay back some of it .. so when our daughter was born in May we never even bothered claiming. For all it was going to be worth it wasn't worth the hassle
ShelleyCowie
14-Apr-09, 23:08
Just claim for everything, Shelley, you're bound to get something.:lol:
Tried that. Got nowt lol! [lol]
I dont know what things there are to get! I applied for the sure start maternity grant, did not qualify because i was like £2 short on my tax credits because u need a certain amount before you qualify! What alot of poppy poo!
Will keep searching sites. Inland revenue are not keen on just blurting out that you are entitled to something!
ShelleyCowie
14-Apr-09, 23:10
You may find that you are entilted to nothing or very little if your partner earns over a certain amount . We were in that situation but were told with our 3rd child that because you have a child under one we were entitled to a certain amount so we did claim for him but after the year was up they wrote and said we had to pay back some of it .. so when our daughter was born in May we never even bothered claiming. For all it was going to be worth it wasn't worth the hassle
Yeah i knew that if ur partner earned a certain amount then you would not get much. But he earns decent, i would not say it was substantial though. I dont know! Im lost.
Just claim for everything, Shelley, you're bound to get something.:lol:
Yeah, a six month sentence. :eek::(
Ask at the Citizens Advice Bureau, they should be able to advise you Shelley.
purplelady
14-Apr-09, 23:18
you should be entitled to child tax credits at least and depending on what your other half earns you could get some working tax credits just apply and see what happens think you can apply online or on the fone give them a ring x
ShelleyCowie
14-Apr-09, 23:20
Ask at the Citizens Advice Bureau, they should be able to advise you Shelley.
Oh i never thot o that! Thanks furry friend! ;)
Yeah, a six month sentence. :eek:Aye, yer probably right, Jox. BTW, what's e' craic we ye being Shelley's furry friend?:eek:[lol]
Aye, yer probably right, Jox. BTW, what's e' craic we ye being Shelley's furry friend?:eek:[lol]
Shelley bought two gerbils and called them Jox and Gizmo.
Oh i never thot o that! Thanks furry friend! ;)
you would be easier shelley phoning them, just have details of what your oh earned last year and your p45, and let them know you arent working now and they will work it out for you, they are really nice.
Be warned its a minefield.. sometimes you will feel like hitting your head of a brick wall.... and you never really know what you are entitled for... unless you know the system inside and out!
the poacher
15-Apr-09, 15:25
i agree with balto its easier to phone them and they will do all the paper work with you on the phone cant realy go wrong that way.
thats how i do mine anyway and its alot quicker.
ShelleyCowie
15-Apr-09, 15:53
Yeah i think i will give them a phone when my maternity pay stops in a couple of weeks. Hopefully they can sort it all out for me! Im absolutely hopeless at all that stuff. :confused
Yeah, a six month sentence. :eek::(
Not if you tell them youre an MP.
give them a phone now.iv got a funny feelin that they dont count maternity pay as earnings.
give them a phone now.iv got a funny feelin that they dont count maternity pay as earnings.
Sadly, this is incorrect. Maternity Pay and Sick Pay still class you as being employed.
Cedric Farthsbottom III
15-Apr-09, 19:35
P60 totals for the year phone them off or any changes and they will do the rest.Don't know about maternity pay though Shelley.You'll get child tax credit for the wee one,its the 16 hour and 30 hour for working tax credit where it aw gets confusing.
Hope I've naw confused ye,cos I've confused masel.:lol:
ShelleyCowie
15-Apr-09, 20:38
P60 totals for the year phone them off or any changes and they will do the rest.Don't know about maternity pay though Shelley.You'll get child tax credit for the wee one,its the 16 hour and 30 hour for working tax credit where it aw gets confusing.
Hope I've naw confused ye,cos I've confused masel.:lol:
Im waiting on getting my P60 through just now. When i do i will phone them and let them do the hard work! Save me writing it all down in a renewal form. I have another 2 weeks of mat pay left then i will be classed as unemployed. Im sure "housewife" is a job though because it takes up more time than my actual full time job did!
Thanks Mr Farthsbottom! :Razz
NickInTheNorth
15-Apr-09, 20:39
Hi Shelley
Based on some wild guestimates about you and your circumstances you may be looking at a little:
Making an assumption of approximately £25 k for you and your partner for the tax year ended 05/04/2009 you would be looking at around £750
On a brighter note :
If however it was £20k you would be looking at around £2200!!
Let me know if you need any more info.
NickInTheNorth
15-Apr-09, 20:47
Another thought that occurs to me is that if your circumstances have changed from last year (such as yourself where last tax year your household had 2 incomes) to this year you can make a claim based on your expected income for this year.
This is because the award for the current tax year (2009/2010) will only be finalised in July 2010 when you complete the annual declaration.
So if this years expected joint income was say 20k then that would be the basis for your claim.
Does that make any sense?
Try this website I found through money saving expert
entitledto.com gives you an idea of what your entitled to
ShelleyCowie
15-Apr-09, 21:01
Hi Shelley
Based on some wild guestimates about you and your circumstances you may be looking at a little:
Making an assumption of approximately £25 k for you and your partner for the tax year ended 05/04/2009 you would be looking at around £750
On a brighter note :
If however it was £20k you would be looking at around £2200!!
Let me know if you need any more info.
Lol nowhere near 25K! I wish.
Another thought that occurs to me is that if your circumstances have changed from last year (such as yourself where last tax year your household had 2 incomes) to this year you can make a claim based on your expected income for this year.
This is because the award for the current tax year (2009/2010) will only be finalised in July 2010 when you complete the annual declaration.
So if this years expected joint income was say 20k then that would be the basis for your claim.
Does that make any sense?
Makes some sort of sense in a weird way! Circumstances will be changing because i am not returning to work. So will be recieving no maternity pay. Only child benefit and the tax credits. OH ears too much to get anything else i think
Keep in mind I have dual citizenship. I still remember when we first came across it was only going to be for year. So we kept our Canadian Baby Bonus, rather than claim the UK credits. When we decided to stay there was a delay in getting our credits because they couldn't understand why we didn't apply when we first came to the country...mad!
Tax credits are a mine field, I couldn't work it out either, so I sent them all the details, stupidly believing they would be able to calculate my family's entitlement, only to be told that we were overpaid in 2004 and we would have to repay a large sum.:(
If I could afford not to bother with them I wouldn't its not worth the hassel and sleepless nights worrying about how I'm going to live, feed my kids and pay back the debt.:(
purplelady
15-Apr-09, 23:48
just give them a rough idea if you know how much you earned last year but i would deffo do it over the fone did mine that way much easier x
Hi, you should make a claim now. As explained in the following link, when your circumstances change, payment can be backdated for three months from the date you start to qualify for tax credits, but, if you claim earlier, it can be backdated to the date of your claim. You may well receive an award notice telling you that you do not currently qualify, but when your circumstances change you can call the helpline to inform them and you will be issued with a new award notice backdated to the date of your claim.
Partners need to make a joint claim. Normally the person who is the child's main carer is paid the Child Tax Credit and the working partner (If there is one) can be paid Working Tax Credit. Based on very wild guesses, you could get around £4000 (between the two types of tax credit) for a full qualifying year, however the actual amount will depend on individual circumstances.
Claim now, as it can do no harm and may help protect your right to the benefit.
Read more here:-
http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/taxcredits/start/claiming/backdate-ahead/protect-claim.htm
Hope this is helpful.
ShelleyCowie
16-Apr-09, 16:16
Thanks for the advice everyone! Have looked into it pretty well now. Also now have a rough estimate as to how much i will be getting from May onwards. :)
Valerie Campbell
16-Apr-09, 18:45
Shelley, don't touch it with a barge pole! So many people have told me different experiences with this that I would say to anyone don't apply. You'll get into debt that goes without saying as everyone does. Also, you must keep the last 2 years bank statements, utility bills, mortgage statements, rent books etc because they have the right to look at these and can demand them from you. You may be happy though that the Government can do this. I wasn't though as I thought things like that were private and also thought the P60 was enough for them. If you're happy to do it though, I hope it works out for you.
I don't understand how you can get in debt applying for CTCs ?
Shelley, don't touch it with a barge pole! So many people have told me different experiences with this that I would say to anyone don't apply. You'll get into debt that goes without saying as everyone does. Also, you must keep the last 2 years bank statements, utility bills, mortgage statements, rent books etc because they have the right to look at these and can demand them from you. You may be happy though that the Government can do this. I wasn't though as I thought things like that were private and also thought the P60 was enough for them. If you're happy to do it though, I hope it works out for you.
I have been on tax credits for some time now and I can assure you I am NOT in debt!!
I have never required 2 years of bank statements, or any bills, either.
There are procedures for investigating claims, particularly where fraud is suspected but if you are honest and keep them informed of changes, you will help to eliminate the need for this.
Having said that, mistakes do occur and it is very slow and frustrating trying to get it sorted out. You have to appeal in writing concerning recovery of any overpayments and it used to be that you had to allow six months for them to evaluate your appeal. We were asked to pay back several hundred pounds, but appealed, as the error was solely theirs. Our appeal was upheld and we didn't have to repay the amount asked. I am sure many people are aware when they are getting more than they are entitled to, and then get into difficulties when the error comes to light.
The system IS certainly flawed, but there is money there that you are entitled to. If you don't want to claim it, I am sure the Government will be delighted!!
ShelleyCowie
16-Apr-09, 20:40
I have no choice but to get tax credits. How else am i going to get stuff. My OH's wages are for bills and tax credits and child benefit are for buying my sons food, milk, nappies, clothes etc etc.
So i dont really have much choice because needs must. :confused
You are entitled to them Shelley x
I have been on tax credits for some time now and I can assure you I am NOT in debt!!
I have never required 2 years of bank statements, or any bills, either.
There are procedures for investigating claims, particularly where fraud is suspected but if you are honest and keep them informed of changes, you will help to eliminate the need for this.
Having said that, mistakes do occur and it is very slow and frustrating trying to get it sorted out. You have to appeal in writing concerning recovery of any overpayments and it used to be that you had to allow six months for them to evaluate your appeal. We were asked to pay back several hundred pounds, but appealed, as the error was solely theirs. Our appeal was upheld and we didn't have to repay the amount asked. I am sure many people are aware when they are getting more than they are entitled to, and then get into difficulties when the error comes to light.
The system IS certainly flawed, but there is money there that you are entitled to. If you don't want to claim it, I am sure the Government will be delighted!!
same here, i have never had a problem with them atall, i think they were going through a phase when folk were having hassle with them, but that seems to have settled down now. shelley you take what you are entitled to.
ShelleyCowie
16-Apr-09, 21:48
You are entitled to them Shelley x
same here, i have never had a problem with them atall, i think they were going through a phase when folk were having hassle with them, but that seems to have settled down now. shelley you take what you are entitled to.
I intend to. That money is for Athrun and his things that he needs. Im not spending it on anything else.
So far i have not had any problems but have only been getting tax credits since October last year. Fingers crossed i dont get any in the future!
purplelady
16-Apr-09, 23:42
I have been on tax credits for some time now and I can assure you I am NOT in debt!!
I have never required 2 years of bank statements, or any bills, either.
There are procedures for investigating claims, particularly where fraud is suspected but if you are honest and keep them informed of changes, you will help to eliminate the need for this.
Having said that, mistakes do occur and it is very slow and frustrating trying to get it sorted out. You have to appeal in writing concerning recovery of any overpayments and it used to be that you had to allow six months for them to evaluate your appeal. We were asked to pay back several hundred pounds, but appealed, as the error was solely theirs. Our appeal was upheld and we didn't have to repay the amount asked. I am sure many people are aware when they are getting more than they are entitled to, and then get into difficulties when the error comes to light.
The system IS certainly flawed, but there is money there that you are entitled to. If you don't want to claim it, I am sure the Government will be delighted!!
i have been on tax credits for a long time and have had no problems at all do not think i could afford to live without them x
ShelleyCowie
17-Apr-09, 16:00
i have been on tax credits for a long time and have had no problems at all do not think i could afford to live without them x
Tax Credits are very beneficial to me too. As i said before i need that money for nappies and milk. :)
Its not as if any of it is getting cheaper either. :confused
purplelady
17-Apr-09, 23:42
Tax Credits are very beneficial to me too. As i said before i need that money for nappies and milk. :)
Its not as if any of it is getting cheaper either. :confused
shelley I am a single mum with a teenage son to care for i work part time so without tax credits i do not know how i would mange I also pay full rent and countcil tax x
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