Should I be entitled to more tax credits?

jemmy8022

I have restarted work last week there after a gap of roughly 4 months. I was getting approx £80 in WTC and CTC up until the start of the summer 2014 there. However not long after I informed HMRC that I had resigned from my last job they slashed my tax credits by £48 weekly. The WTC has been reduced to zero. And my CTC reduced to £30 weekly.

I have tried my hardest to ring the helpline but finding it impossible to get through. Does anyone reading this know why my entitlement has been slashed? My family situation is still the same - my son is under 16 still at school...my partner's circumstances have remained the same. I am still disabled & had been getting the Disability element of the WTC until it was cut. (The disability element generally makes up the bulk of my entitlement ) As far as I am aware an increase of less than £5000 isnt counted so I cannot understand why they have reduced my payments. My income for April 2014/2015 will be just £400 more than that for April 2013/2014. I gave them an estimate of £5670 for April 2014/2105 which is still valid and correct for next year for them to base their calculations on. My partners hours still haven't changed. We both work 30 hours or more.

Please can someone shed some light on this?

Thank you very much!

HOWMUCH

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Key your details into the above, it may help.

Caz3121

What was your income April 2012/13? - your 13/14 award would have been based on this figure then you would have finalised the award with the information you sent in on your 13/14 actuals

How much does your partner earn?
I am surprised that you both working 30 hours per week would qualify you for WTC but only one person working 30 hours per week would cause the WTC to cease
Do you have your award letters?

jemmy8022

Blondebubbles, the 2013/2014 joint income was £22,784 and the 2012/2013 joint income was £23, 655. Estimated joint income for next year 2014/2015 is roughly £23, 600. I would've thought it's the income amount we are actually earning that would've mattered in the calculations. I read somewhere there is £5000 leeway so our increase/decrease in income is still within that amount - that's why I don't understand all this.
I have looked through my previous award notices and it says we get the additional 30 hour element as well on top of the basic element. I get the low & middle rate of DLA

We don't pay for childcare so don't claim any.

Caz3121, in previous years when my partner worked 38 hours a week (and he still does) I was entitled to WTC (as well as the CTC) based on his hours when my income was zero. When I updated my work situation at the beginning of the summer 2014 though they never sent me an updated award notice.

jemmy8022

But surely, although I had stopped working, and then restarted, my status is now EMPLOYED so do they not take that into consideration? What will happen after April 2015?

My CTC was £63 weekly before it got reduced to £30.

As for the year 2011 to 2012 the joint income was much much lower - £15,900 for us both jointly.

Thanks for your feedback Blondebubbles. It helps. They dont make the award notices easy to understand though sure they dont?

jemmy8022

Hi again. Yes I only informed tax credits a week ago of the new job and have not yet received an updated award notice as yet. I resigned from my last job officially on 24/4/14 I rang tax credits helpline three times and couldnt get through. In the end I only informed them beginning of June because I had to do the renewal so yes the payments went straight down after the renewal.

I just looked at both our P60's and realised the income figure did indeed drop to £21, 781. I just remembered I was off sick for a while. What a muppet I am!. Thanks bubbles I think I know now why the tax credits were slashed. Still wondering what will happen after April 2015? I guess I will wait for the updated award notice and work from it there. Many thanks!