8 months and still no movement on tax credits claim!

Martin9837

Hi,

Hope someone can help with info. regarding my child tax credits claim.

Background - I'm a Brit who worked abroad until June 2010, then returned to the UK with my wife and two children in July 2010. I was unemployed and so made initial claims for child benefit and child tax credits. I couldn't claim anything else as I had more than 16k in savings.

Eight months on, and I'm getting the child benefit but still nothing from the tax credits people. I call them regularly, and when I get through they always tell me that there is a query regarding my wife's residency and that they will be in touch when it is cleared up.

I always ask them what I can do to speed things up; what information they need, and they always say there's nothing I can do I should just wait.

My wife is Japanese and is here on an initial 2 year spouse visa. She doesn't have an N.I. number as she has never worked here.

Is my wife's nationality even relevant? I made the claim in my name. As long as one of us is British isn't that ok?

Anyway, if I can't do anything to speed up our application - e.g showing them my wife's passport and visa, then what should I do?

Still unemployed by the way, so we could really do with the money.

Pulling my hair out ..... help please!

welshmoneylover

Martin9837 wrote: »

Hi,

Hope someone can help with info. regarding my child tax credits claim.

Background - I'm a Brit who worked abroad until June 2010, then returned to the UK with my wife and two children in July 2010. I was unemployed and so made initial claims for child benefit and child tax credits. I couldn't claim anything else as I had more than 16k in savings.

Eight months on, and I'm getting the child benefit but still nothing from the tax credits people. I call them regularly, and when I get through they always tell me that there is a query regarding my wife's residency and that they will be in touch when it is cleared up.

I always ask them what I can do to speed things up; what information they need, and they always say there's nothing I can do I should just wait.

My wife is Japanese and is here on an initial 2 year spouse visa. She doesn't have an N.I. number as she has never worked here.

Is my wife's nationality even relevant? I made the claim in my name. As long as one of us is British isn't that ok?

Anyway, if I can't do anything to speed up our application - e.g showing them my wife's passport and visa, then what should I do?

Still unemployed by the way, so we could really do with the money.

Pulling my hair out ..... help please!

How long were you out of the country for?

I'm assuming you met your Mrs and had the children were born overseas?

sinstar

There isn't really anything you can do to speed up the process. I take it your partner is 'subject to immigration control'? If you both were, you can't claim at all, but since you aren't - you can make a claim. But the claim isn't 'in your name' - it's a joint claim, for both of you.

It sounds like she will need to be given a National Insurance number to claim Tax Credits. The Tax Credit Office should be liaising with the Department of Work and Pensions to arrange an interview for her about this.

Don't get too angry at the people on the helpline, having to tell you 'they will be in touch when it is cleared up' probably irritates the hell out of them as well (they'll know as much about it as you do at the moment, to be honest)

Have you received any letters at all since you made the claim? Can you give any more info about what exactly they say when you call?