Am really stuck on providing info for 'WTC renewal'

sophsweet

Can anyone help?
Like others on this forum, I've lost hours over the last week trying to call the Working Tax Credits helpline and not getting through.

I couldn't work out which menu options applied to me as I only claimed for 3 months last year and cancelled my claim as my circumstances were changing to make me ineligible. After I submitted my original claim I decided to study for an MA and so cancelled my claim after 10 weeks.

After waiting on the phone for 6 minutes, I was told they couldn't take my call. They are indifferent about this. If there was a count down queue I would have lost half a day hanging on, but there is no expectation management at all, probably causing much more phone congestion than needed.

When I got through today, I tried to ask how my claim would be calculated if my income, from september-april went up, after I had cancelled my claim. All they kept asking for was my annual income. this means doing my tax return early, and it is the most complicated tax return I've had to do.

I'm doing an MA in writing and am dyslexic. If you wonder why I'm doing this, it's because I am already a journalist and only recently found I was dyslexic. However, the working tax credits system, I find very hard with dyslexia. I am inundated with words, when all anyone wants to do is give their details and get on with life. I have a 20,000 deadline next weekend and the WTC thing is dominating my attention.

I have not been relieved of firefighting since I started this course, due to service providers not giving correct, consistent or complete information. When I cancelled my WTC claim saying my circumstances were about to change, I had no idea that slap bang on deadlines, I would have to complete the most complicated tax return of my life to give them one figure, my annual income, that would be totally unrepresentative of the 3 months of self employment when I claimed WTC.

This system of virtual heresay plays straight into the hands of people with time and will to look at the Code of Practice and follow the rules to get free money, not the genuine, busy, 50/50 chance of learning difficulties person working hard, juggling family and dealing with 101 other service providers that think we're put on earth to deal with their hiccups, indifference and patchy communication 24/7.

Rant over. Can anyone tell me how best to deal with this?

sorry if it's convoluted. I'm desperately trying to yank my mono-focused, trancelike dyslexic attention back onto finishing a complete screenplay, but HMRC has hijacked it and it's as if I speak a totally different language from the humans on the HMRC helpline and I'm totally disorientated.

Icequeen99

It doesn't matter if you only worked 3 months or what you earned in those 3 months. It is the annual income they need, they will then pro-rata that by doing 3/12 x whatever the amount is. Income is spread evenly across the year for tax credits.

You need to just ring them and give them the figure they need, then they will finalise the award for those 3 months.

As the 31 July has passed, it may be that they have already finalised on the information they hold. If that is teh case, you need to check the final notice that comes and contact them if the information is wrong on it. If they find out later that your income was different then that could cause problems.

IQ

Morlock

sophsweet wrote: »

This system of virtual heresay plays straight into the hands of people with time and will to look at the Code of Practice and follow the rules to get free money, not the genuine, busy, 50/50 chance of learning difficulties person working hard, juggling family and dealing with 101 other service providers that think we're put on earth to deal with their hiccups, indifference and patchy communication 24/7.

It is amusing that so many benefit recipients claim to be the only legitimate claimants amongst millions of malingerers.

"Everyone else is playing the system, but not me, I actually deserve the cash."