tax credit award less than calculator prediction

hotlioness

My child tax credits award is £15 a week less than the calculator predicts I should receive beginning in of April 2017? I have asked for an explanation with online chat but was given a generic reply that didn't relate to my account or personal circumstances
Last year they really left me high and dry. I began a new job in February 2016, (£15000 a year salary increase from the previous year) informed them straight away as didn't want a situation where i owed money... 6 months into the year they stopped paying me child or working tax credits without warning. When I enquired they said it was because i had received my yearly amount due to the increase in my wages. They could see the telephone call from February when I informed them I had changed jobs and increased my wages but they obviously hadn't updated my earnings... I have been really struggling to survive as didn't plan to have my tax credit stopped as my award notice was clearly consistent monthly payments spread out through the year. I have received no housing or council tax support... Anyway, fast forward to my new tax credit year and they seem to be underpaying what I should be entitled to. How can I get a decent response that relates to the actual reason of how they have come up with 2 entirely different figures? I have my information from the government gateway of exact earnings and award. How can I fight this?

giddypenguin

Have you been on maternity leave in the past tax year? If so you can remove £100 per week that you received SMP/MA from your total income - calculators automatically take this into account, but when you tell HMRC you have to remove that figure yourself.

Darksparkle

The online calculators are an estimate. This is the response you will likely get.

How accurate the calculators are depends on how accurate you were in completing it. Many people don't record the correct income or don't take into account the income disregard for increaes/decreases. Or the calculator could have a glitch which happens every so often.

Or HMRC may hold incorrect personal details and income for last year and estimate for the current year. Your awards notice will show this.

The online calculator also cannot take into account if you have been overpaid and are paying it back.

How you fight it depends entirely on why it is different and without any info it's near impossible to guess.

hotlioness

I got my exact information for the calculator from the gateway what they are basing their decision on. My salary earned this year is to the nearest pound. I have used other calculator sites that all state the same figure as the gov calculator so no glitch. I haven't had a baby for 10 years so that's not an option. All I can guess is that they are still clawing back some overpayment I have taken screenshots of the information they have based my award on and the information I have provided for the calculation to prove that all figures are exactly the same. I was going to print off and write to them and see where it gets me!

Darksparkle

Did you take into account the income disregard (£2,500) when you change your income from one year to the next.

Do you want to post details and I'll calculate it myself?

hotlioness

My wages and hours are staying the same as last year from April 2016-April 2017. No change in increase or decrease. I get no other income other than child benefit.

hotlioness

My final earnings for 20162017 are 19363. Forecast the same for this year. My tax credits award is £41 a week. I have one child. The calculator states it should be £215 every 4 weeks. I have no other income besides child benefit which is £21 a week (which is already calculated for in their forecast)

Darksparkle

The current year is 2016/17.

Last tax year was 2015/16 in which you say in the February of that tax year you started a new job with a £15,000 payrise so are you sure that your 2015/16 and 2016/17 income are the same?

hotlioness

Darksparkle wrote: »

The current year is 2016/17.

Last tax year was 2015/16 in which you say in the February of that tax year you started a new job with a £15,000 payrise so are you sure that your 2015/16 and 2016/17 income are the same?

Ok. I'm confused. Yes you're right. So April 2015 - Feb 2016 I earned £6000. Feb 2016 - date I earn 18k plus bonuses, which averages out at around £19500.

Darksparkle

hotlioness wrote: »

Ok. I'm confused. Yes you're right. So April 2015 - Feb 2016 I earned £6000. Feb 2016 - date I earn 18k plus bonuses, which averages out at around £19500.

The tax year runs April to April.

They need to know how much you earned in 2015/16 (which you should have already told them) and 2016/17.

theartfullodger

Take the matter up with the organisations - one a charity that run the benefit calculators - you may have found a genuine error, although (no offence) I doubt it.

If you know any millionaires who could give this charity a bung, please encourage them: They do a fantastic job with scarce resources, helping so many people.