Tax Credits Renewal Deadline Approaches
05 July 2012
If you are in receipt of Tax Credits, the Tax Credit Office (TCO) will have asked you to 'renew' your tax credits claim. You, or your agent, must contact the Tax Credit Office with your updated information by 31 July 2012 or your Tax Credits will be stopped.
Due to a number of recent changes by the Government, it is important that you notify the TCO as early as possible of any changes to personal circumstances and ‘actual’ household income figures. This is to make sure you have been paid - and will continue to be paid - the right money.It is important to know that if you are paid more tax credits than you're entitled to (an 'overpayment') you will usually have to pay the money back. Your payments may stop if you do not renew – according to HMRC, last year over 400,000 people had their payments stopped because they didn’t renew.
If you do not get your renewal pack by 30 June, contact the Tax Credit Helpline on 0345 300 3900.
When you receive your renewal pack, check all the information in the renewal pack, making sure all the changes reported in the last year are included. If anything is not right, you need to let the Tax Credit Office know.
If you contact the helpline, have handy: your National Insurance number; your password, if you have one; your renewal pack; details of any new changes in circumstances; the amount of your household’s total income for the last tax year.
You should follow the instructions on your form to confirm your claim for last year even if your circumstances have changed and you are no longer eligible for the current year.
The Tax Credit Helpline is open 8.00 am to 8.00 pm, Monday to Friday; 8.00 am to 4.00 pm Saturday; closed Sundays, Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year's Day.
Tax credits written enquiries should go to: Tax Credit Office,Preston PR1 4AT
What to expect after you renew
It normally takes up to eight weeks to deal with your renewal. The Tax Credit Office will then send you:
- an award notice with a final decision for the last tax year
- a separate award notice showing what your payments will be for the new tax year, including any overpayments or underpayments
The Tax Credit Office may write to you to check that you have renewed correctly and may ask you for evidence, for example, of your income. So keep any relevant paperwork safe.
If you do not get your award notice within eight weeks, contact the Tax Credit Helpline.
If you have any further questions, you can contact Aine at our Lurgan office (028 3832 4924 or aine@dalypark.com )or Roisin at our Newry office (028 3026 7715 or roisin@dalypark.com ).