All so confusing!

Arcey80

Right, basically get around £40 a month in Child Tax credits for our 1st born, soon to increase when payments come through as second child was born on the 13th Sep. That all seems right based on our combined income last tax year of £30k.

However, this year it is considerably less. My partner will be on SMP for 33 weeks of this financial year having previously cut her hours down from 36 to 30. My job hasn't changed but the income if continues as expected will be around £2k less, largely due to a lump sum payment received in 2009 in lieu of future work. In total we make it £8k less we will earn this year.

Having put all our details into the Turn2us benefits checker website, it states that we should be getting £10.73 a week in WTC and £109.34 CTC. This is nowhere near what we are getting!

Do we have to wait till the end of the financial year and then claim a lump sum back for what will be owed to us? Or can we get a review so we can get the money paid now?

Cheers for any help.

karenx

Your award is based on last years earnings. You can call up and ask for it to be based on this years earnings and give them an estimate of what you will earn in this tax year

Caz3121

karenx wrote: »

Your award is based on last years earnings. You can call up and ask for it to be based on this years earnings and give them an estimate of what you will earn in this tax year

but if you choose to go this route you must be aware that there is no £25k disregard and anything you earn over the estimated figure you give will result in an overpayment so if there is any chance of a bonus or anything like that you should overestimate to avoid the overpayment

Murgatroyd21

Have you made the disregard for SMP? Is your income still £22000 after applying the disregard? Based on a couple with current year income of £22k and 2 children, 1 under age 1 I get your entitlement to £2965.70 for the year based on entitlement, with income of £22k, from 06/04/2010 to 12/09/2010 £600 for couple with 1 child (£26.25pw for 22.86wks), entitlement from 13/09/2010 to 05/04/2011 £2365.70 for couple with 2 children and baby element (£80.77pw for 29.29wks), as a rough calculation.

On £30k with a child over 1 you were getting about £10.45pw from the basic family element that doesn't start to get reduced until income goes over £50k at present.

Arcey80

I didn't realise you disregard SMP. If that is the case then realistically, our joint pay would be more like £18000.

I guess the best option is to give them a ring, as the forecast won't change much and any bonus won't be paid until June or July.

Thanks for the help.

Murgatroyd21

Don't have time just now but can give a new calc based on disregarding SMP (up to £100 pw disregard). Bonus payments are added to the income of the year they are paid in.

Arcey80

Ok cheers, will give them a ring anyway and inform them of our changes and see what they say. We worked it out that for this financial year, my partner will be on SMP for 33 weeks, returning to work for the 1st week of April. Even as a rough calculation, what you predict is quite a bit more than what we are getting, mainly because our income this year will be quite a bit lower.

Murgatroyd21

Based on a couple with current year income of £18k and 2 children, 1 under age 1 I get your entitlement to £4526.30 for the year based on entitlement, with income of £18k, from 06/04/2010 to 12/09/2010 £1283.70 for couple with 1 child (£56.14pw for 22.86wks), entitlement from 13/09/2010 to 05/04/2011 £3242.10 for couple with 2 children and baby element (£110.74pw for 29.29wks), as a rough calculation.

Arcey80

Looks like they are gonna get another phone call in the morning! Do you have a link that confirms you don't have to include the first £100 a week on SMP?

What about everything we have missed? Can we claim that back now so we get it in future payments? Or will we get it at the end of the year when everything is calculated? Or have we missed the boat and lost it?

At the moment we are talking a significant sum that would certainly make a difference leading up to Xmas.

All the help is very much appreciated by me and my family.

alwaysonthego_2

The information about the disregard for SMP is on the tax credits application form.