Tax Credits Compliance Operations - new claim

cifpower

I started work on 8 March and rang TC to ask for a claim form. This was received back by them on 29 March as it took a while to get all the info. This morning I received a letter from Compliance asking for an awful lot of information:

• Payslips for all employments or evidence of earnings and hours worked
• Contracts of employment for all your jobs
• DLA award notice
• Full details of all social security benefits received
• Statements from all bank accounts
• Copy of rental agreement or mortgage statement
• Council Tax bill
• Gas, electricity, water and telephone bills
• A list of all occupants at my address and their relationship to me

They want all the above for the dates 18 Jan 2010 to 21 April 2010

Needless to say this has really worried me. What on earth is all this about? I rang them today to ask and I told her I share with a friend and we are not in any relationship. All the bills are in his name and I do not have a rental agreement. She then asked if I pay rent and does the landlord know which he does.

I am able to supply bank statements from 1 February, payslips and my DLA award notice from Blackpool but not a contract of employment as I was never given one and have never signed anything.

Is this type of thing common? I did wonder why my claim was taking so long and that when I rang TC to check on progress they just said it was sitting at "award pending."

System

This is normal when another adult is registered at the same address yet a single rather than a joint claim is made. They are just ensuring that fraud is not being committed.

Ask your employer for a letter confirming your employment and explain your lack of relationship with your housemate.

cifpower

When I told her what I had she just said "send in what you can and we will go from there." When I get my payslip tomorrow I will send in the statements and the rest of it.