Tax Credits Award Notice sent to wrong address

tjs1963

Hi everyone, this is my first post so I hope i,ve put it in the right place. Ok, as my title says my tax credits award has been sent to goodness knows where. I renewed over the phone back in June, i never received an award notice. I phoned them again at the end of August as I needed it to send with my sons ema application. Still no award received. I phoned again this morning only to be told that the awards had been sent out, but, for some reason, in June, the number of my house had been changed, so the awards had gone there instead. I asked what number this was and they would not tell me, but apparantely the first award had been returned to the Inland Revenue, but as yet, not the second one. So someone maybe has my personal info, thanks to the Inland Revenue. I was so angry on the phone that I said I wanted to make a complaint and was then passed over to the manager, who did not seem at all concerned about this but surely their security measures have been stepped up for this not to happen or do we accept mistakes can be made. I think if it can happen to one it can happen to many. Do I have reason to be concerned? What do others think and would you insist on making a complaint and if so who do you speak to at the Inland Revenue to make sure it gets heard to stop this happening again. Does any one know if bank details are on the award notice, obviously I am worried about that. Thanks in advance.

alison999

My renewal letter (the one you get back from them) was lost in the post, it happens. I would be more concerned as to why someone had changed your address on their computer than where the award notice went.

Once something is in the post its up to Royal Mail to deliver it, not the Inlnd Revenue.

ALIBOBSY

Given the recent losses of personnel info I would be checking that the payments aven't gone astray either. I would put a complaint in writing, they are much more likely to respond to a written complint than a verbal one.

ali x

glitterkitty

ring the helpline, ask for the address for a 'Subject Access Request'
and write to them asking for full details of all the household notes on your account for this year, and details of any changes made to your records. You will then be able to get the details of everything on your account, and hopefully it will have the date that your address was changed on there.
Have you moved house at all this year?

tjs1963

Thanks for your replies. I moved to this address last year, 30 July, so at first thought the inland revenue had sent the award to my old address but they said no. My address was changed on their system, apparantely, when they updated my records, when I phoned to renew my tax credits in June. But I will ring the helpline and ask for that address, thanks again.

System

I agree about making a Subject Access Request. It's very useful especially as they send out all forms completed by you and returned to them and all the notices they sent you over the years. They also send out a CD of your phote calls.

Just to make you aware though that Annual declaration forms are processed by a process called Rapid Data Capture (saves on staff) just like Tax credit claim forms. That means they are scanned into the computer. If your handwriting isn't clear then the computer can misread a number or letter resulting in an error occuring.

mcnolegs

The Subject Access Request can be handy if you need to dispute something and want further evidence but otherwise will provide you with a lot of unnecessary and unwanted paperwork. An address wouldn't need to filled in on anything that went through Rapid data Capture with the exception of the initial application form. More than likely what's happened has been a keying-in error either at the tax credits office or another government office as the information from certain departments feeds into the tax credits system updating their system as well.

You're certainly well within your rights putting in a complaint and asking why the address was changed; a written request should get you a more comprehensive answer than over the phone. It's something that should be addressed especially in the light of other info going missing

glitterkitty

she completed over the telephone, so a subject access request would be useful. She didnt send the renewal in, so there would be no rapid data capture. The change of the address should be recorded in her claim, the date of the change and also hopefully a hh note.

pandaspot

hi

bank details are shown on the award letter, along with your national insurance number

i would certaintly complain

James_Mass

I recieved someone else's benefit award through the post. It might be yours. The address is mine but the name isn't. I rang up the department and they simply advised me to send the letter back marked 'name of recipient not at this address' and they will investigate it.

glitterkitty

yes, the only way the notices can be stopped going to the wrong address is to send it back to TCO, they then put an RLS (Return Letter Service) signal on the claim. The payments then stop until the person calls and confirms their details.