Child Tax Credits Backdating help!! PLEASE!

sunshinestar101

Hi All,
Thankyou for reading my post... its been a while since i have been on here, and i only like to ask questions when i am really in dire need. so if someone can help me, i would be sooo gratefull.

I have tried to make this as short as possible... so here goes...

Basically, i applied from a single claim, to a joint claim on 31st June. They received my claim on 15th August. Im my claim that i sent off, i attached a letter stating that i need it backdating to 6th April as this was when my single claim ended.

I then called up on a regular basis, and eventually my claim was processed and is now up and running, but they have NOT backdated it to when i requested, only to the date they received my form on the 15th August.

I asked why it had not been backdated and they said that my attached letter 'must have got lost' and there was noting on the system telling them that i had requested backdating.

The person on the phone then put through a referal for backdating on the 30th August.

I have been calling them every day since then and been told a number of different things, one person said that it can take 1 week, then i was told it would take 18 days, and today i have been informed that the timescale has been increased to 24 days!!!

The problem lies with the fact that i cannot pay my rent as i need the backdated money (and the award notice) to make another claim with the Housing Benefit Office. My single claim stopped on the 31st June and i have had no Housing benefit money since then so have been unable to pay for the rent since then... I am looking now at being evicted from my home (with 2 children and 1 on the way) and i have no idea what to do.

is there any way that i can get things speeded up or anyone that i can ask to speak to regarding hurrying my backdating money through?... i know the Housing benefit will also take their time in setting up my claim again, so i was going to use the backdated CTC that i am owed to pay the outstanding rent until the HB is processed.

The HMRC seem to be just fobbing me off with different time sclaes, and increasing it day by day, so it never seems to be getting any closer to getting it sorted.... i am sooo worried now that i will lose my home because of all this.

Please please can someone advise me of if there is anythig i can do? will going to my local tax office help? i have heard of Hardship payments from the HMRC, but will this be enough to cover the outstanding rent owed? will they even offer me a hardship payment because i am currently in receipt of my normal weekly payments?


sorry this is so long winded. please please can someone help me. or has anyone been in a similar situation???

Thankyou in advance.

xxx

sunshinestar101

sorry to bump this up, but i really need someones help. please. im desperate

merlin68

They only backdate a month now, did you actually tell them on the 6th april or leave it until june to tell them, if so you have no chance of getting the money back.

Transformer

Sorry to hear you so stressed, but I also thought it was backdated one month. Did you take name and reference to who gave you the information, could you provide proof of call. I am not saying it will get you backdated just that better to raise the issue and try as to why rep did not put note on the system. Always best to update hmrc in real terms as in as soon as change occurs as there can be quite a delay sorting most things due to work loads.

Record your calls in future, I do it automatically for reference due to memory problems just to protect myself.

If you are struggling with your rent could you speak to your landlord agree something, or just reassure them it is short term hick up. They might be more acomodating than you think, best of luck

sunshinestar101

Thankyou for your reply - i was worried that no one else could see my post other than !! haha.

I told them on around 2 years prior to this that i needed to change to a joint claim (but for some reason, when i called up to do my renewal this year, they still had me down as a single claim??) - When i called on 31st June this year, they said that they have now stopped my single claim, and a joint claim would need to be made and i could claim from the 6th April as a couple and that i needed to put that in an attached letter when i made my joint claim...


hope that makes sense.

Thanks again. xx

sunshinestar101

Thanks Transformer..
i have spoken to my landlord today.. just to keep them updated, but i think they get the feeling that i am fobbing them off too now... i am just telling them what the Tax Credits are telling me, but i have a feeling they dont believe me... the landlords now are telling me that they dont have enough money to pay the mortgage on the property now as tgey havent had my rent money for past few months...... i have to call the landlord back tomorrow with a solution ''or else''...... but i have no solution....

Transformer

You could do a subject access request to them. This would get you all relevant information re you and your claim along with all references to you contacting them. As the claim was still down as single it would have affected the amount you were receiving. The subject access request might contain the notes you gave.

You could ring them ask for the address who you need to send it to, am not sure if they charge the standard fee of 10.00, some others might be able to answer that. Not too sure if there is a link on this site to a template but if you google it you can find a template or how to set it out, you need to request exactly what you want with dates etc. of calls, what you want to see, but can also add anything you have on file regarding my claims including records of calls you may have.

Its an option I know of it but just a bit dumb how to refer you to template or where it is, someone else might know if you cant find it.

Macro_3

Why do you need the backdated tax credits money in order to make another claim for Housing Benefit?

sunshinestar101

Macro wrote: »

Why do you need the backdated tax credits money in order to make another claim for Housing Benefit?

Because, when my single claim stopped... so did my housing benefit and council tax benefit... i thought that i had to wait until i received another award notice to claim HB and CTB again?? am i wrong???

I have received an award notice, but it is only backdated to the 15th August, not to when my single claim stopped.. so there would be a shortfall inbetween these times that i would have to pay for, which i cannot afford.

sunshinestar101

its not the actual payment that i need Macro, its the award notice.. but i know the HB Office takes aaages to process the claims so i was going to use my backdated money that i am owed from the HMRC to pay for the rent that is owed, if that makes sense...

Cornish_piskie

sunshinestar101 wrote: »

Because, when my single claim stopped... so did my housing benefit and council tax benefit... i thought that i had to wait until i received another award notice to claim HB and CTB again?? am i wrong???

I have received an award notice, but it is only backdated to the 15th August, not to when my single claim stopped.. so there would be a shortfall inbetween these times that i would have to pay for, which i cannot afford.

I may have this totally wrong but I would imagine that if your claim had been as a single person and it should have been a joint claim for some time, you would have been receiving more than your actual entitlement. You might find that the 'shortfall' between those times is not actually a shortfall at all but rather that you may owe money in overpayment.

Again, sorry if I have misread your posts - my only excuse is that my head is mashed after going back to work today after 3 weeks off