specialist team for tax credits renewal (merged)

H_Cat

Kyresa wrote: »

Sorry they are definitely checking us out! I got asked all kinds of questions about my living circumstances, right down to the names of my parents!!!

I had to send a years worth of bank statements, gas and electric bills, rental agreements, phone bills, childcare statements, council tax bills and a whole load of other stuff. I sent it and then rang them a week later. They explained that they were checking to see if I lived on my own and that everything checked out accordingly. Just to let you know that they run credit checks, bank checks and use other sources to find this information out. the Specialist Renewals Team are basically there to verify your tax credit claims and that they are all above board. I spoke to a lovely lady who was a compliance officer. they're job is to investigate in detail your claim. It turns out that I now have to claim with my partner and my money has been stopped until I fill in a new claim. bit of a bummer but nothing I can do about it. (Mine is a rather strange set up). If I was to appeal about the claim then it goes futher up the compliance chain where they dig into your circumstances even further and if found to be false, you incur a fine of up to £3,000 pounds! So, there you go ......!!

Kyresa

TaxCreditHelp wrote: »

I do admit this is a strange question to ask, and personally not one I would have. Just as a guess it may be that one of the Tax Credit tracing systems has identified potentially someone living at the same address, but this also shows people who have historically lived there so the adviser may well have gotten confused. It may seem easy but it's actually pretty tricky to navigate through the Tax Credit system at the best of time, never mind while on the phone with someone.

I'm sure it's nothing to worry about though.

They do live with me But I still felt the question was rather intrusive. They are nothing to do with my claim whether I live with them or not, they are both elderly and retired!!!!!

I came off the phone and it felt a bit like an inquisition. When the "investigator" asked for those details and did anyone else live with me I said "well only the cat, would you like her name too?" !!!

TaxCreditHelp

Pinkpigg wrote: »

I am thinkin maybe its a case of who you talk to as to what questions they ask you as there doesn't seem to be any consistency not by the posts I have read on here. The info that seems to keep popping up is the info re P60 and childcare and this seems to be then requested as if to verify what you are telling them over the phone

The questions asked during the Specialist Renewals process depend on the individual circumstances of your Tax Credit award. For example, you would only be asked about disability if this detail was present on your Tax Credits award or if the DWP system identified that you were disabled but not claiming this through Tax Credits.

The main aim of this exercise is simply to make sure that the information held on the Tax Credit award is correct and up to date and the Specialist Renewals team will ask the necessary questions to establish just that.

TaxCreditHelp

mztz wrote: »

i have a reference on the specialists letter i received,rys/t34/t32..what does that mean? your feedbck would be appreciated.

Letter references starting with 'Rys' identify cases being dealt with by the Blackpool office. These cases aren't treated any differently from those being looked at by any of the other Specialist Renewals teams and is just an internal code for Tax Credit Office to identify where the letter has originated from.

TaxCreditHelp

Just wanted to post an update as several of you have said that the whole Specialist Renewals exercise could have been done better...

From a personal point of view I completely agree that the entire process has not gone as smoothly as may have been hoped but Tax Credit Office is learning from it's mistakes.

The tight timescale for preparing and issuing letters once the whole process was agreed did not allow much time for getting the word out that Tax Credit Office was carrying out this exercise so this didn't allow for advertisements to be prepared and published or for information to be placed into the Renewal packs.

If this exercise goes ahead next year the information will be better managed and the Tax Credit Office will have learned from the mistakes and errors in judgement which it inadvertently made. They are already discussing enclosing the Specialist Renewal letters in with the relevant renewals packs, and the Communication and Marketing department will do it's best to ensure that as many Tax Credit customers as possible are aware of the process before it begins.

I'd like to thank each of you for posting here and for allaying the fears that many people had at the beginning of this task and I agree that there certainly should be an official Tax Credit Office presence on these boards as often as possible to answer questions, help with confusion, dispel myths and generally dispense advice for those who may need or want it... as opposed to a few anonymous posters like myself trying to help wherever we can and in our own, unpaid time.

Thanks again!

kaitlinsmummy

We renewed through the main TC line back in april even tho we had a letter from the specialist team then the next day it had been playing on my mind all night. I rang the specialist team the lady I spoke to was very nice and professional, I explained to her I had renewed the day before and she just said let quickly run through it for you asked for 09/10 income estimate for 10/11 any change in circumstances then said right all done
that was on the tuesday got a extra payment on the friday we didnt get a final notice for 09/10 as OH is self employed and we didnt have his acutal figure. 2 weeks later I rang the TC main line with OH 09/10 acutal figure got a underpayment payment 4 days later and now have final award notice for 09/10 and the provisional for 10/11

I agree it could have been dealt with alot better by the HMRC But I dont see how it is an Investigation ive not been asked to provide any other documents to support our claim which I would have gladly sent if we had been asked.
Taxcreditshelp has come on here to help people and put peoples minds at rest and I thank him/her for that probably so do many others on here
People need to stop scaremongering and assuming things which seem to be completly off the mark!

tinkerbellisposting

I don't think there is any pattern to it and I have followed this from the beginning as last years award was over 8.5k fully expecting a specialist renewal which I didn't get.

It seems to me aslong as you have told the truth ie, P60 and your childcare figures and again can obtain proof you have nothing to worry about.

I always thought TC could check with your tax office anyway and I am suprised everyone does not have to send in their p60/childcare a there is room at the moment for people to fiddle the system or make mistakes.

But again for the record I had an award over 8.5k with dis element and renewed fine over the phone normally, no specialist team reqd.

helenj36

tinkerbellisposting wrote: »

I don't think there is any pattern to it and I have followed this from the beginning as last years award was over 8.5k fully expecting a specialist renewal which I didn't get.

It seems to me aslong as you have told the truth ie, P60 and your childcare figures and again can obtain proof you have nothing to worry about.

I always thought TC could check with your tax office anyway and I am suprised everyone does not have to send in their p60/childcare a there is room at the moment for people to fiddle the system or make mistakes.

But again for the record I had an award over 8.5k with dis element and renewed fine over the phone normally, no specialist team reqd.

hi how long did yours take untill you got your final award through the main line
thanks

tinkerbellisposting

helenj36 wrote: »

hi how long did yours take untill you got your final award through the main line
thanks

I got the new payment within a week and the award was bang on 2 weeks later.

lilymaesmum

hi everyone im a bit confused.
i sent my renewal back via royal mail at the begining of may yesterday i recieved a letter asking for my partners earnings (which i had already filled in on the declaration that i sent them) and then today i recieved our nhs exemption certificate.
has anybody else had this. im going to ring them on tuesday when my fella gets paid as i have already wasted £20 on credit been on hold lol.
oh also the letter asking for hubbys income was dated 3rd june but the letter with our nhs cards was dated 21st may