Tax Credits Problem - Please HELP!!

LittleMissK

:mad: I receive approx £700 per month in tax credits as my childcare bill is very high and I usually get it paid each month without a hitch…until today that is! I checked my bank earlier as was expecting payment this morning but I didn’t receive anything. I rang the helpline and they said a letter had been returned undeliverable so they suspended for security reasons (I find this odd as the address they have for me is correct!). Anyway, they have reinstated my claim but say they can’t guarantee whether I will get this missing payment as a lump sum or spread over next year, apparently it depends how the computer decides to calculate it!

So I am now in a blind panic as if they decide to spread the payment I will be completely unable to meet my financial commitments this month - £700 is a huge amount of money to lose without warning! Do you know if there is anything I can do to argue this and insist on a lump sum? The woman I spoke to wasn’t especially helpful as she just didn’t know what might happen. Would it make a difference if I changed something to do with my circumstances (bank details maybe?) as someone has mentioned that this will mean it gets paid next week.

Any advice you might have would be gratefully received! :mad:

nannytone_2

i dont know much about tax credits but if the decide to pay you extra every month to compensate for their error, you could always get a budgeting loan and pay it back with the extra.....just a thought

TaxCreditHelp

Unfortunately I can't help too much with the payments side of things but if you are experiencing hardship, local HMRC enquiry centres can provide emergency payments at their discretion.

There is a Tax Office locator on the HMRC website and until your problem is resolved you may be best going along in person to your local enquiry centre. I advise you take several forms of ID, preferably with a photograph so they can verify your identity.