Advice Needed - Tax Credits Online Quote Different to Actual Award.

AndyLGR

Tax credits sent my annual review form so that I could tell them about any changes over the last year. In the last year my wife’s hours and salary had been reduced, whilst mine was still the same. I rang them with this information and they eventually told me that the new details meant that my tax credit award was still the same basic award per year approx £550.

I’ve since been online and used their online calculator and if I input the same details I provided to them, then I get an annual award of approx £1600.

How much weight does this online calculator carry? Is there any way I can push them to honour what it states on their own calculator that I should be entitled to?

I’ve written to them about it and am awaiting a reply.

System

You need to read your last award notice carefully and make sure the details they are basing your payments on is correct and up to date. If it is then my second thought would be that the reduced payment is due to them recovering an overpayment from an earlier year. Either way you need to be sure what circumstances your current payments are based on.