specialist team for tax credits renewal (merged)

kaitlinsmummy

my renewal came yesterday so I renewed in the normal way and have been thinking about it since and decided to ring the TC helpline this morning to see if it had gone through ok but mentioned I have received this letter this morning and the Woman I spoke to said " your renewal details have been stored till you contact the specialist team just explain to them you renewed yesterday and they will check it all for you and process your claim, It is a new pilot scheme where random NI numbers have been selected to speed up the renewal process" So I rang this specialist team and the woman I spoke to just asked me again our Incomes for 2009/2010 said who ever had took my detail yesterday had made an error and put it that I was renewing 2008/2009 so glad I phoned now was on the phone less than 3 minutes now its all done and processed

uolypool

Pinkpigg wrote: »

Presumably then you had also received one of these letters about contacting a renewal specialist?? Maybe it was passed to this department after you had phoned the main TC number???

I was the person who started this thread. I have no idea if it went to the specialist dept or not all I know is I phoned the main helpline to renew and when I phoned to check the claim had gone through I was told it was live on there screen

sjje

I received the specialist renewal letter last Monday, the main line told me that despite no answer on the number from the letter, I would just have to keep trying but that my renewal notice had been issued. Finally having read through the posts here, I rang the main number and asked to renew as I knew that my renewal notice had been sent. The lady I spoke to said no problem, took all the details and told me I would receive two notices in due course, one final one for 09/10 and a provisional for 10/11.
Having read on here last night that people who renewed through the main line would not have their awards completed, I rang back to ask if it was accepted, I was told that it was in for processing.
Anyway, I finally got through to the specialist number this morning and spoke to a really lovely lady who explained that it was set up pretty much at short notice to take renewals in order to ease the main line number. She told me that alot of the main line staff were not aware of the new set up, and there had been lots of queries re this new system but that they were working hard to sort out awareness. She checked my details and income details etc and confirmed that the information was all there on the screen to confirm I had renewed, but it was on the system waiting to be processed through the computer system which would then send out the awards and infomed me it can take up to two weeks to receive awards.

compoff

Pinkpigg wrote: »

Compoff: If the aim of this exercise then is just to double check the details people's claim's why don't the tax credit office just check people's details at source - eg. wage details, childcare details and so on afterall they have all the details in which to do this and this would make more sense and be a better way of "double checking. The different numbers given on all these letters that people have received seem to be only in operation 8am-5pm - these hours are not convenient for me (and I ama sure I am not alone in this) as I work (in an office) all day every day - you would expect some out of hours service. Why are operators on the normal tax credit number telling me that there is nothing on my file to say a letter has been sent from another department, surely without the note on my file how would they know not to process my details?? I don't get it - what should be a simple process just seems all of a sudden very complicated in deed. My panic now is that my payments will stop, through no fault of my own - being on my own I depend on my tax credits. Can't believe that the tax credits office have not put anything on their website to put people's minds at rest!!!

I was just trying to explain in simple terms what the new process is. This is a new system which has been brought in this year to try to stop overpayments arising later in the year. I realise that it has not been well publicised, that's why I was trying to help people understand the thinking behind it. I was only trying to help, so take your frustrations out on someone else. Thanks

TaxCreditHelp

I'll try and help as much as possible with this but I can confirm it is a genuine exercise underway within HMRC Tax Credit Office. I am one of the Specialist Renewals Team who are working from a number of processing offices spread throughout the country. We receive calls based on the 0845 number you call, which has been split between the various offices based on the initial of your Surname.

This is a pilot exercise in which we're helping people to finalise their Tax Credits award for 2009/2010 and renew their claim for 2010/2011. When you call we will check ALL the details on your award at present and then ask for your annual renewal details (income, benefit status, Statement Of Circumstances) and process your annual declaration. The sample size for this project affects around 400,000 Tax Credits customers.

An inhibit signal has been set on all of these cases which means your renewal will not process in the normal manner. If you renew by post or through the main helpline, your renewal will drop onto a worklist and each case will be reviewed manually to ensure we have all the correct details on your award. As a result of this you may receive a phone call to the number we hold on your award, and if we don't hold a contact number for you we will use directory enquiries. The best way to avoid this delay in processing your renewal is to call the 0845 number on your letter. Don't worry though, your Tax Credits award will continue with provisional payments paid in the mean time. If you fail to renew by any method then your Tax Credits payments will stop on July 31st.

We do know the letter is far from perfect and not necessarily up to our usual clarity of writing standards but these letters were printed and issued within a tight timescale and it wasn't possible to properly prepare each one.

I hope this helps.

Pinkpigg

compoff wrote: »

I was just trying to explain in simple terms what the new process is. This is a new system which has been brought in this year to try to stop overpayments arising later in the year. I realise that it has not been well publicised, that's why I was trying to help people understand the thinking behind it. I was only trying to help, so take your frustrations out on someone else. Thanks

If I offended - I apologise, that was not my intention.

Pinkpigg

TaxCreditHelp: Thanks for the info, thats great and put my mind at rest no end. One question: "You say "When you call we will check ALL the details on your award at present and then ask for your annual renewal details (income, benefit status, Statement Of Circumstances) and process your annual declaration. The sample size for this project affects around 400,000 Tax Credits customers" - does this mean that normally details would not be checked?? Seems rather bizarre, afterall tax credit is a form of benefit and is means tested, surely no matter which avenue you would renew ALL details would be checked and double checked. Thanks.

happymother

This is just bizarre, I received the specialist letter but like so many others I just called the main helpline to renew. In fact I rang to renew this morning, after reading that it would be stored on the system until specialist team looked at it I thought I'd best ring them. I told the woman who answered the specialist line that I had renewed this morning but had just received her letter and she said that it was fine, I will just make a note on screen that you have already renewed, thanks for calling.

mad_bad_spender

I have received this letter today but havent received the renewal pack yet. It does say to wait for the pack but has anyone renewed before receiving this as i know there has been an overpayment and i am trying to get this sorted asap?

Also has anyone been able to get through on the 0845 600 5044 number as this has been engaged all morning, no queue or answering service, seems a bit shoddy to say the least?

jonnyboy82

hi, i recieved my renewal pack on tuesday si rang to renew then and i got told it all went through fine no probs,this morning i recieved a specialist review team letter for when i renew,si i thought i have already renewed yesterday so i called this department and was told hang on a minute it looks like you have already renewed,i then said yes i got my pack yesterday and did it then and i only recieved this letter this morning sorry... he then said let me double check its not on a list? and he came back and said yes its all done and gone through,i am so confused but he did mention that he thinks that if the pack gets sent before a specialist team letter it can be done on main helpline but if its the other way round and the letter gets sent before the pack it triggers something and it can only be done at the specialsit team??... i hope it has gone through but like i said i did call the specialist team and he said it had so no doubt to doubt that:)