Tax credits urgent advice needed!!

smiley:_3-2

Hi
Basically Me and my husband split up i changed my tax credits claim from joint to single the joint claim was cancelled immediatly and after 6 weeks i still hadnt recieved anything or had any payment on my single claim. I rang every day near enough after 3 weeks had passed. I recieved a letter last week from compliance operations asking me to provide lots of information about my self employment hours of work etc also nursery bills etc which i have got and utility bills some of which are still in my husbands name as we hadnt gotten around to changing them. I have sent all the information requested straight in by recorded delivery and checked to see if they have recieved this which they have.

Now in the meantime me and my husband have decided to give things another go only yesterday what i am panicking about is that i havnt had a payment from tax credits in 9 weeks I somehow managed to pay the nursery last month and have had to borrow money off family to feed ourselves etc. obviously i will need to change my claim back to joint so do i just ring tc helpline & do this now & will it take anouther 2-3months for me to recieve a payment? and what will happen to the original single claim that is in process and I havnt recieved a payment from will that just be disregarded?

I am so worried as I am going to have another nursery bill next week and have no money to pay it I cant borrow anymore as cant pay back what I have already borrowed! Do I just take children out of nursery quit work or what?! I am really panicking wish I didnt tell them we had split now but at the time thought it would be permanent.

AARRGGHH hope someone can give me some much needed advice!

Murgatroyd21

You should call the helpline asap and explain the situation. Although an end date should be applied to the single claim, it shouldn't be withdrawn. You will need to wait for a new pack to come out to make a joint claim. Can't say how long it will take as it will depend on the checks required which could be the same as the single claim.

smiley:_3-2

Thank you I am going to ring the helpline just really worried about when I am going to recieve a payment and also because I still havnt recieved a claim from being single I need that money to cover what I have had to borrow and living expenses & bills that we have fallen behind on as my husband had to rent a room somewhere & I didnt recieve any tax credits money but still had the same outgoings......Nightmare!

Murgatroyd21

Don't forget when you make your new claim, attach a note to it asking for the joint claim to be backdated to the day after the single claim ended (usually the date you say a partner moved in).

smiley:_3-2

Lots of people viewing this does anyone else have any advice on this?

mrshappy

At the moment it is taking TC about 9 weeks to process a claim which should be backdated to the claim date, they don't always write before paying the backdated amount into bank accounts, so keep an eye on what is going into your account. I would think that phoning them to change your circumstances and letting them know that your partner has moved back in won't affect your single claim, but it's always better to let them know as soon as any change takes place and you may have to reapply again as a couple. Your single claim should still come through as you were single for that period of time.

smiley:_3-2

Oh I hope so as really need the money! But am and always have been honest with tax credits so will tell them straight away that our circumstances have changed I just cant believe it is taking so long to process the claims! Hopefully I will have a payment of some kind asap or next step will be talking to the nursery nicely and explain the situation and hope they are understanding and see if we can pay them late! Or thanks to tax credits i will have to give up work and take kids out of nursery and become another statistic! NOT GOOD!

Thanks for your help tho

smiley:_3-2

Ok I have rang tc helpline this morning and changed claim to joint. They said that the single claim going through will still be paid up untill today then the joint claim will continue from their! It is such a stressfull process!! Hopefully I wont have to deal with them for a long time! Still none the wiser as to when I will recieve any money though so the stress still remains just glad I have got it sorted! fingers crossed i will recieve a payment before the nursery bill is due I am not hopefull tho!

katnoluck

Hi! Don't speak to me about TC! Still trying to sort out mine. Anyway, the advice I have been given is :- keep calling them and stressing the importance of your claim. Ask why there has been such a delay and if you can speak to a manager. Quicker routes to find out what is going on are going to your local CAB, they will call them for you and get a better answer. If all else fails, you can apply for an emergency payment from your local tax office (find number from directory enquires). Also, get your local MP (you can email or call them) to chase them up (they will do this if it's causing you severe hardship and possibly affecting your ability to work).

Good luck and hope you get sorted soon.

smiley:_3-2

Thank you for your reply it is a nightmare isnt it! Im chasing them all the time will try the other options you mentioned thankyou

smiley:_3-2

smiley: wrote: »

Hi
Basically Me and my husband split up i changed my tax credits claim from joint to single the joint claim was cancelled immediatly and after 6 weeks i still hadnt recieved anything or had any payment on my single claim. I rang every day near enough after 3 weeks had passed. I recieved a letter last week from compliance operations asking me to provide lots of information about my self employment hours of work etc also nursery bills etc which i have got and utility bills some of which are still in my husbands name as we hadnt gotten around to changing them. I have sent all the information requested straight in by recorded delivery and checked to see if they have recieved this which they have.

Now in the meantime me and my husband have decided to give things another go only yesterday what i am panicking about is that i havnt had a payment from tax credits in 9 weeks I somehow managed to pay the nursery last month and have had to borrow money off family to feed ourselves etc. obviously i will need to change my claim back to joint so do i just ring tc helpline & do this now & will it take anouther 2-3months for me to recieve a payment? and what will happen to the original single claim that is in process and I havnt recieved a payment from will that just be disregarded?

I am so worried as I am going to have another nursery bill next week and have no money to pay it I cant borrow anymore as cant pay back what I have already borrowed! Do I just take children out of nursery quit work or what?! I am really panicking wish I didnt tell them we had split now but at the time thought it would be permanent.

AARRGGHH hope someone can give me some much needed advice!

Ok have spoken to the lady in compliance & she has processed my single claim and put to payment but award still not showing as of yet. does anyone know roughly how long this should take?

the joint claim is ghoing to probably take ages now I am desperate for a payment now this has been soo stressful! They say tell them straight away with a change in circumstances well I would think twice about that now and make sure I have some provisions in place!

I think the system is terrible I dont think they should be allowed to just stop payments like this for nearly 3 months when people rely on the money for childcare! It has been very embarrassing talking to the nursery and paying my bill late I just hope I get a payment soon so I can pay nursery & my family back! Sorry to keep moaning but does make you wonder how all these fraudsters get away with it cause I have never lied to tax credits & feel I have been picked on and penalised for those of you that do! Makes me wonder why I bother working! Sorry again hope someone can help me with when im likely to recieve a payment.