Joint to Single Tax Claim

joannejellybean

My partner left the property 9 weeks ago. I have just advised Tax credits. (I told them at the time of renewal that he had left and was advised to ring back when he had been gone for more than 8 weeks) He has moved to Singapore and therefore outside of the EU and I have advised that he will be gone for more than 52 weeks. (Emigrating if all goes to plan)

Instead of my OH being entitled to job seekers for 26 weeks (1,677) he in fact received 2 weeks (128) so I amended the figure today.

I suppose that i want reassurance that I will still be entitled to WTC/CTC and that the only change will be instead of a joint claim it will now be a single claim. (the children are still here and my income hasn't changed)Or will the dept claw back the payments I have rec'd so far and start a claim from the date he left in April.

We have not seperated and I will be joining him in due course. He is not employed in Singapore but hopefully will be soon. Will I need to advise Tax Credits again if and when he finds employment ouside of the EU.

Thanks.

[Deleted User]

If you have received any money after the 8 weeks this will be an overpayment. However, due to the reduction in income this could increase your award and clear off the overpayment. You will need to wait and see the paperwork to make sure.
You can request to pay back the overpayments in instalments if there is one.
Your new single claim would be backdated to the date the joint claim ended.

joannejellybean

Thank you for your reply.

The next payment would possibly be an overpayment so I will bear that in mind but it is, as you say, a further reduction in my income so I'm not too concerned as it should correct itself. I can still manage on the current amount so I would be more than happy to leave the claim as it is but I informed the dept because the change has happened and I want everything to be done correctly.

I want everything adjusted so that if i do leave I will only receive the correct amount I am entitled to up to the point of cancelling the claim and not incur an overpayment.

As an aside, do you know what would happen if my husband found employment. We are not seperated (well we are as he is a few thousand miles away!) so I assume his income will once again be used for calculations and rightly so? I only want to forward plan and pre-empt what would happen.

also, if by the time of completing the renewal forms in April 2010 we have left the country, would the the revenue dept contact us in Singapore to confirm the final income. (this would be from my P45 and the benefit confirmation letter that my husband received when he signed off from receiving JSA)

He was made redundant in March after many years and as he has the right to live an work in Singapore he is trying to secure employment there. Tax credits have his address etc to contact him but it is an unusual situation I suppose.

Thanks again.

joannejellybean

Sorry - just re-reading your reply, would the joint claim have ended when he left the property or once he had been left for 8 weeks?

I didn inform the dept he had left when I renewed the claim but was told to call back only when he had been away for 8 weeks.

Icequeen1

joannejellybean wrote: »

Thank you for your reply.

The next payment would possibly be an overpayment so I will bear that in mind but it is, as you say, a further reduction in my income so I'm not too concerned as it should correct itself. I can still manage on the current amount so I would be more than happy to leave the claim as it is but I informed the dept because the change has happened and I want everything to be done correctly.

I want everything adjusted so that if i do leave I will only receive the correct amount I am entitled to up to the point of cancelling the claim and not incur an overpayment.

As an aside, do you know what would happen if my husband found employment. We are not seperated (well we are as he is a few thousand miles away!) so I assume his income will once again be used for calculations and rightly so? I only want to forward plan and pre-empt what would happen.

also, if by the time of completing the renewal forms in April 2010 we have left the country, would the the revenue dept contact us in Singapore to confirm the final income. (this would be from my P45 and the benefit confirmation letter that my husband received when he signed off from receiving JSA)

He was made redundant in March after many years and as he has the right to live an work in Singapore he is trying to secure employment there. Tax credits have his address etc to contact him but it is an unusual situation I suppose.

Thanks again.

If you are claiming as a single person, his income is not relevant in any way.

IQ

joannejellybean

Hi Guys

Can someone please re-assure me with regards to the above posts..

My joint claim was ended as expected and I received confirmation of this and that there was an overpayment, (which I knew there would be, to be offset in new single claim I thought?) however I never received any paperwork with regards to claiming as a single person. This week i didn't receive any benefit.

I contacted Tax Credits and was told that i needed to make a new single claim. I knew this and assumed that as I had confirmed all my details when ending the joint claim and advising I would need to make a single claim that 'THAT' was me making the claim. Apparently not and I have to wait for the paperwork to complete and that it will take some weeks for this to be processed. Why the paperwork has never been sent before now I don't know but will my claim be backdated to the date the joint claim ended and will I still be entitled to anything as I havent seperated from my husband and will be joining him If he finds work. (If he doesn't he will be back but we are holding out until at least Christmas)


FAO SUBSONICOYETE

Just to advise as I think you may work in benefits?? I did get an overpayment but not for the period AFTER the 8 weeks as you advised I may have, the claim was cancelled wef the date he left and the ovp created from that date.
Now originally I had telephoned and advised the dept that he had left and was told to ring back only when he had been gone for 8 weeks - which I did. I am having to borrow money from my parents until this is sorted and they are fine with that but I would like reassurance that I will still be entitled to claim and I don't feel confident that the dept are telling me correctly, especially as I shouldn't be in this position and it is only due to someone not processing the ending of the joint claim and sending the paperwork for the single claim to commence.

Sorry for the long post but I am very stressed.