a bit worried

Auzelia

about WTC / CTC

I am reading all these stories of overpayments etc. and that HRMC not receiving the renewal from etc.

I have to this date only ever sent in one form to the HRMC and that was my original claim.
Everything else I have done over the phone. My April P60 amounts, change of employment, and adding on nursery information (childcare)

I never phone them to amend any amounts of money, esp nothing to do with my wage, as I know about the £25k bumper and If I change my estimated earnings and I earn more than I stated I can be hit with an overpayment.
This year I have earned less than Half of what I earned last tax year.

But I am happy to wait for the underpayment to be paid out to me.

Am I wrong in not sending back the form that they send out.
The ppl on the phone who I speak to when I make changes ask me if they can take an electronic signature, and also say that every call is recorded and if any problems occure they keep the tapes for 6 years.

The only problem I have ever had was that on my renewal when I added on Childcare, in the statement bit it was missed off that I pay for Childcare but it was added into my amounts of money due. I did call and query it and they where fine with it. But said they could not send out amended paperwork.

but ...

my god this is long. Im gonna stop now haha

glitterkitty

as long as you complete everything within the deadlines, its fine for you to just do things over the phone.

Auzelia

thanks,
was just getting worried. As I was reading that people sent in their renewals.
I find doing it over the phone alot easier.

proview

No, don't ever declared over the phone without post it back because you must signed yourself on the form and that need to be send it back for their record. If you do that over the phone, then in a year or 2 or 3 or 4 years time, then they will trace you and ask you to pay it all back because you never send the form back (they don't want to know if you had been declared over the phone but they will tell you is we had no signature and did not recieved from you)

I always use both to declared over the phone plus signed my form to send it back (both are safer way) but just over the phone is no guarantee proof !!!

It happen to my friends (they always phone them up and declared without send the form back) they now regret and they ask them to pay it back because there is no record over the phone in the last 3 years and no form recieved and they want your proof of your signature with date on it.

kei_2

The call logging system is automatic, everytime someone comes through on that helpline it gets logged. In the event that the call does not get recorded then it's recorded by a typed note on 2 more systems so basically there is 3 systems on which a call should be logged - you would have to be massively unlucky to have all 3 of these go 'missing'. Whether it be under the callers telephone number or national insurance details. Due to how the system works it's impossible to update a persons details without the system logging it.

As for the renewal process normal protocol when i was in a HMRC office was:-

-Renewal goes out to be returned before deadline
-If no sign of a returned renewal with the deadline looming then a reminder goes out
-Payments stop 2 weeks~ after the deadline, letter goes out
-Claimant has a further 30 days to renew the claim (this would be 40+ days after the initial deadline)
-After this all the money paid out during the current financial year is deemed a overpayment, letter goes out.

Could have changed ofcourse but i doubt it considering it had never changed or deviated much when i was there so theres plenty of chances and notices to get it right.

I would always do it over the phone and if you did not receive you're award notice shortly after then i would chase them about it.

proview

I rather do both over the phone and signed the form and send it back. I don't trust tax credits peoples. There is alots of complaints over eg:

1) phone call did not recorded - when , what time ?
2) form not recieved - what date and when it last post to ?
3) updated on the system didn't up to dates (because of not recieved any form or any phone call)

Tax Credits is the worse terrible to deal with phone and form (worse than the CSA)