specialist team for tax credits renewal (merged)

TaxCreditHelp

As I've said, unfortunately some advisers on the main Tax Credit Helpline do seem to be completely unaware of the work being carried out by the Specialist Renewals Team, despite numerous updates on this.

There are a number of ways they can check but there will be a 'retained household note' which will identify the relevant case as a 'High Value Renewal' which is just some jargon someone has created to identify the Specialist Renewal Team cases (obviously calling them that would have been too simple).

As I've said this is a learning curve for everyone involved and Tax Credit Office are constantly refining this process. Despite a lot of the posts in the 45 pages of this topic I can assure you most renewals are being processed in this way without any problem and there has been a lot of positive feedback about this new service. Unfortunately bad news is a bit 'sexier' than good news!

caris

Hi

How much longer do you think we are going to have to wait for our final award notice? Do you think that ours could be one of thethose cases which has a "lost" letter?

As stated previously we did our renewal on the 22 April and had a provisional award notice on the 6 May and nothing since.

We have phoned previously but not been told that our case is "marked", so do you think we will need to speak to the specialist team, if so how do we contact them without a number, will the normal helpline put us straight through if we ask?

This is getting very fustrating.

caris

Telfordstar

I renewed with the specialist team 2 weeks ago, same time ended my single claim and requested new forms for a joint claim, I recieved a final tax credits form but thats been it, have tried phoning at various times in last few days only to be told sorry we are to busy to take your call!! :mad:

pugsley29

I didn't get my extra payment this year to allow for the yearly increase in tax credits decided in the budget

does anyone know how much it went up by? ( 1 child ) child tax credits, no income)

my weekly payment has actually gone down a few pounds, I'm thinking someone forgot to process the extra payment when sending out my final award, but can't check it myself as I don't know the figures etc

Bethleesmith

Hi - I've found this thread a comfort tonight having just arrived home to a nasty letter from the tax credits office. I renewed on the phone line on Sunday last week. It's been a complicated year as I was forced to go part time at work, have one 4 year old in childcare, have been on maternity leave since September, had a premature baby in October who is now on Higher Care DLA and also my partner (who had previously been made redundant and was therefore on JobSeekers) got a new job in August. For this reason, with both our P60s in hand, I used the phone service to renew.

Today I get a letter saying that an award notice was issued on the 2nd June indicating a large single payment but that this payment had been stopped and that the information I had given did not match my PAYE record and I would have to pay back any over payments. There was also a very terse warning saying that the giving of inaccurate information would result in a penalty and that I would receive a "formal notice of our decision" shortly.

I'm now terrified. I have certainly never intentionally given false information. I have, without fail, called in EVERY change in circumstance on the day it happened (with the only exception being not calling them for a week to say my son had been born (as we were too busy in special care). I have also double checked my estimated salary (and my partner's) against what we actually earned on our P60, they pretty much match up (mine is actually LOWER than I predicted due to having to extend my maternity leave to care for my son).

I simply do not have any money to pay back if they have over paid me. Has anyone else received a similar letter? We haven't even had the award notice yet. I can't call the helpline tonight as it is past 8 oclock and I know that when I do, they will just tell me to wait until I get the notice or "formal notice".

THis tax credits arrears system is a nightmare. I'm so confused. I'm a secondary school teacher and I can't understand the system at all, it makes me feel so stupid!

Any advice would be gratefully received. Would there be any way that my PAYE record would not match up with what is on my P60??

Thanks,
Beth

TaxCreditHelp

caris wrote: »

Hi

How much longer do you think we are going to have to wait for our final award notice? Do you think that ours could be one of thethose cases which has a "lost" letter?

As stated previously we did our renewal on the 22 April and had a provisional award notice on the 6 May and nothing since.

We have phoned previously but not been told that our case is "marked", so do you think we will need to speak to the specialist team, if so how do we contact them without a number, will the normal helpline put us straight through if we ask?

This is getting very fustrating.

caris

If you give the helpline a call on 0845 300 3900 you can ask if you're award has been inhibited from finalisation and they should be able to check the notes to tell you if you are a Specialist Renewal case.

mztz

hi, has anyone had this specialist renewing letter with a reference T34 and T24? can anyone help what that stands for?

shammy123

hey guys this new thing is defo an investigation line. just got off phone with them and we have been picked randomly to be investigated. taxcredithelp is giving out wrong information. If any of you have anything to hide then get it fixed before you call them. make sure you can substantiate evry bit of information. otherwise the inevitable will happen.
this part is directed at taxcredithelp, if you are who you claim to be, why did you not just be truthfull and inform people on here to the fact that this is just the new name for the investigation team?
eventually the truth will out, just a shame that some gov wrkers try to hide it and hope all will be well, another classic example of old labor waste of money and excuses for kepping civil servants on the payroll

mztz

hope you dont mind me asking,but did you get a letter from the specialist team? and did it have any reference on your letter?when you rung them,what did they ask you?

Kyresa

shammy123 wrote: »

hey guys this new thing is defo an investigation line. just got off phone with them and we have been picked randomly to be investigated. taxcredithelp is giving out wrong information. If any of you have anything to hide then get it fixed before you call them. make sure you can substantiate evry bit of information. otherwise the inevitable will happen.
this part is directed at taxcredithelp, if you are who you claim to be, why did you not just be truthfull and inform people on here to the fact that this is just the new name for the investigation team?
eventually the truth will out, just a shame that some gov wrkers try to hide it and hope all will be well, another classic example of old labor waste of money and excuses for kepping civil servants on the payroll

Aye. I was asked who I lived with, what were their names, what days I worked on etc etc.

Certainly sounded more like an investigation to me at the time!

Perhaps the "it's if you have a high award" is a smokescreen, because certainly a fair few of us have said it's not the case for us yet that part has been conveniently ignored!