Tax Credits Rebate - HELP NEEDED PLEASE!!!

Kate0408

Please can anyone help?

My husband was until recently self-employed and we have been claiming Child Tax Credits for 2 and a half years.

Unfortunately, because he was working very long, stressful hours (and is totally rubbish with paperwork), he has only just completed his tax returns for years 2005/06 and 2006/07.

When we originally called the tax office to confirm income as requested, we had to give an estimate for his s/employed income and were informed that once the accounts were completed, to call them to update income.

Now (finally) we have confirmed income figures for him which show his profit as much lower than the estimate we gave and I have worked out that we should have been entitled to receive an additional £4000.

I called the tax credit helpline to update the figures and enquired as to whether we could claim a rebate and they are saying that we should have informed them of these figures before 31st Jan 07 & 08 and that it is now too late to do anything.

I can understand that we were late but if I had called them to say that my husband had earnt more - they would have demanded we pay them back whatever overpayment is due.

I feel it is only fair that we should be able to claim what is rightly ours. My husband has already been fined by the tax office for late returns, including interest - so must we really have to suffer more?

Please, has anyone else experienced this? - or have any info or advice that could help?

Kate0408

anyone?????

cw18

no experience of it, but the deadlines are there and well advertised (loads of TV ads now about the need to submit for 2007/08 on paper by then end of this month or on-line by the end of January -- even my DD has picked up on them and phoned me to ask if she's supposed to be doing anything) so he can't plead ignorance.

I very much doubt that an appeal will get you anywhere. Perhaps this will be the wake up call your DH needs to get future forms done on time......

Could you not do his paperwork for him in future?

Emmzi

Kate,

you could claim what was rightly yours, but it was your choice to miss the deadline. I know it is frustrating for you, but frankly I am with the tax credits office, and agree with cw that you should help out with the paperwork to make sure it gets submitted on time next year!

Kate0408

Thanks to both of you for your advice.. I will have to just accept it and not think how much that extra money would have helped us! On a more positive note, dh is no longer s/employed... THANK GOD!!!

Thanks once again.