Tax credit changes

lovesavingmoney

Did have a quick look, and couldn't see anything on this.

I know the budget changed a lot this year, but I'm really confused....

When I logged into my bank last week, the first payment of this tax year had gone in, and it was almost £40 a week less than what I was getting.

We have a household income of £17.5k, so to lose almost £160 a month is massive for us!

I have not recevied a letter, or new award notice, so tried calling, to listen to an automated voice say 'if your payments have gone down, but your circumstances haven't changed, please visit this website...'

So I did, and it didn't really make sense - well not in any way you can work out what your entitled to.

So, logged onto entitled to, and they gave figures close to my previous amounts, and so does the hmrc tax credit calculator.

Does anyone know if these sites have been updated with the new calcualtions yet? If not, they're giving out a lot of false information, which a lot people rely on when bugeting!

If it's right we're to lose £40 a week, then so be it, but surely they should have written to us to inform us??? Not everyone checks their bank accounts, so could be relying on the fact an extra £160 is going in, that in fact isn't...

Anyone have any idea??

twinnymum

Hi I am also interested in any advice regarding this as my payments went down also by 170 per month. Like you I recieved no warning!
:-(

PrincessDonna2009

We only earned £16,580 last year between us (£16,000 from o/h wages and £580 from my ESA Payments from Jan-April) and our tax credits have gone down from £89 per week to £12 per week....it's not right is , especially when we don't get any help anywhere else and we only have around £60 per month, spare money after paying for rent etc....

We haven't had anything through from the Tax Credit's to say what we will be entilted to...

HAYLEY8005

there is a warning if you read page 5 off your previous award notice it states on there what you will receive from 6th april 11 till renewal, alot of people seem to not have read this part and getting big shocks. I know someone did write on here the other day saying entitled to is out but tax credits are aware and sorting it apparently.

zagfles

The payments seem to gone a bit haywire at the moment - the turn2us calculator should give the correct results but you may have to wait till the renewal is processed before getting the right payments. If they paid you too little from April they'll make it up over the rest of the year. If it's causing you serious problems give them a ring and see if they can process your renewal quicker (not sure if they'll be able to or not).

moomoomama27

People need to check their award notices, it says on there what the payments will be from April 2011. The turn2us calculator and HRMC calculators are both correct.

zagfles

moomoomama27 wrote: »

People need to check their award notices, it says on there what the payments will be from April 2011. The turn2us calculator and HRMC calculators are both correct.

But by the sounds of it people are getting paid different amounts to what it says the run-on payments should be.

Aarons_mummy

moomoomama27 wrote: »

People need to check their award notices, it says on there what the payments will be from April 2011. The turn2us calculator and HRMC calculators are both correct.

I haven't found the calculators accurate at all. They always say that I am entitled to roughly £250 tax credits per month yet I only get £190.

My award notice states £219 per month from April 2011 but haven't had a payment through yet so can't confirm if it's correct but again the calculators state that from 2011 I should be getting £258 per month.

To be fair however I haven't called tax credits to query this, no overpayments, single mum with 1 child on income support etc.

I agree with everyone else the payments are all over the shop just now, the amount of threads on here has proven that.

moomoomama27

zagfles wrote: »

But by the sounds of it people are getting paid different amounts to what it says the run-on payments should be.

I see. That's odd, because I checked mine and the run on payment was what it should be, but then my claim is probably quite simple. I wonder if it's people who claim for childcare, as there have been quite alot of changes made there?

lovesavingmoney

I have checked my award notice, and from April 2011, it's saying I should be getting more than I am.

The payments I'm getting make no sense, and seem to come from no-where... We don't claim any childcare costs - so it's not that.

The HMRC webiste says I should be getting what I was before??? Hopefully I'll get my renewal through soon, and it'll get sorted - although I won't hold my breath!!

zagfles

Aarons_mummy wrote: »

I haven't found the calculators accurate at all. They always say that I am entitled to roughly £250 tax credits per month yet I only get £190.

My award notice states £219 per month from April 2011 but haven't had a payment through yet so can't confirm if it's correct but again the calculators state that from 2011 I should be getting £258 per month.

To be fair however I haven't called tax credits to query this, no overpayments, single mum with 1 child on income support etc.

I agree with everyone else the payments are all over the shop just now, the amount of threads on here has proven that.

The calculators are unlikely to be wrong but you need to make sure you know what they are calculating. I think the HMRC gives the amount for the rest of the tax year. The turn2us one is better and gives weekly and annual rates, but it's the amount over the year you need to look at.

What you actually get per week/4 weeks will depend on how much they underpaid/overpad in the renewal window and any extra payments they gave you - you often end up with an extra payment when they do the renewal and many people got an extra payment in the autumn when they recalculated the run on payments.

Plus remember if you get paid 4-weekly it is not monthly - you will get 13 or 14 payments in the year, not 12, plus any extra payments.

In your case with one child on IS your total payments over last year should have been 2850.65 exactly, and that's what turn2us says.