Tax Credits, HB and DWP's CIS

James_richardson_89

Hi

I wonder if there might be anybody on here with specialist knowledge about wot exactly goes on the DWP's Customer Information System.

Sounds like, if you make a housing benefit claim (which I am considering) a flag gets put by your name by your Local Authority, to show you've got a housing benefit claim. But I understand there isn't information recorded on the CIS about how much housing benefit you are awarded?

Regarding tax credits, I understand that details of this are put on CIS, which are then made available to local authorities - the amount of the tax credits claim, when it started etc. The thing I wonder about on this score is, does any other tax information get put on to the CIS? My sense of it - but I don't know and would be grateful for any specialist knowledge anyone happens to have here! - is that it is just tax credits info that is supposed to go on the CIS. But is that really the case? Your personal 'income and tax' information (which are used as the basis for a tax credits claim but are different kinds of info) doesn't get put on CIS?

Also, I wonder about who is accessing CIS - is it right that HMRC, despite tax credits info getting put on CIS, can't access the CIS themselves (to see housing benefit information) without applying for special permission to do so?

Reason for asking is I suppose, well a) I do have a tendency to be a bit obsessive with detail, I know!; but b) our personal information gets pooled a little bit in a fragemented way...information is gathered about us and getting more centralised these days...but different components of it are supposed to be kept separate (in the kind of way I have described), is my understanding (is that right?). But I am a bit paranoid about personal information and wonder if it really remains as segragated as it is apparently meant to be and if it is not being gathered and centralised on CIS more than is I think meant to be the case?

Do past years' tax and income levels - supposedly kept separately by HMRC - get added to CIS?

Thanks v. much in advance for any knowledge - cheeers!

fluffymovie

Hi James

CIS is a system which was introduced to replace something called the RAT system which has been in place for years and years and was used by LA's to access information on state benefits such as Income Support, to assist in the assessment of Housing and Council Tax Benefit.

The current system had Tax Credits added into it in about 2005 or so if I remember rightly. The system itself only gives LA's information and is a sort of snapshot of the live system used by the DWP and HMRC so they don't need to have access to CIS as they have their own systems.

We cannot see all income details on there but can see a breakdown so for example, if some is getting £10 per week JSA, we may be able to see Other income of £40 and on the notepad, it might say Part Time Earnings but it doesn't add anything about tax paid or current income levels.

We also can't see all benefits such as Child Benefit is not included on there, Industrial Injuries isn't great and so on.

Also through CIS, we get something called ETD's which are daily downloaded files showing JSA start and end, IS start and end etc which gives us information we need to suspend or amend claims already in payment.

As for who can access it, only staff employed by the LA can and they have to sign a confidentiality agreement and show their passports! A new scheme called EAS is coming in shortly which will require all staff who access CIS to have a webcam for added security!

NASA_2

My experience of CIS is similar to fluffymovies - but from a different angle.

It gives a good breakdown of JSA/IS/ESA/IB/DLA awards and registered interests of a number of other benefits such as IIDB. It gives nothing at all for War Benefits.

It does show interests of Housing Benefit but not amounts.

No Income Levels - tax are recorded on CIS - but they are revealed (to an extent) on another system called eNirs2. This is how contribution based benefit decisions get made. Another system will match Contributions paid by an employer with Credits from the benefit system. If there shouldnt be records of both they will investigate this.

Unlike the poster above, I dont work for the LA, havent had to sign any agreement (Specific to CIS but I have signed the official secrets act) and havent had to show a passport at any point.

One good thing about CIS is that allows for address searches etc. to be carried out - if someone claims to be single it can be used to see who else is claiming benefits at the address.