Inland Revenue-WTC/CTC

Fran

This is absolutely not personal to you.... this is the vent board and I'm furious to receive yet another calculation that is supposed to be my income - not just today but until the end of the tax year, which is WRONG! This is the second time this year this has happened - how are we supposed to know if our calculations are correct at any time given the abysmal record so far for administering WTC/CTC?

There are huge errors being made all the time to large numbers of people and it affects people's lives all the time. It is very upsetting to suddenly receive a letter saying you owe £3,000 especially if you are on a low income or benefits and you have no way of paying if it is correct.

I completely sympathise with your situation as a poorly trained and badly paid worker

ordinary people having to implement a new system with minimal training.

and

It is interesting also to note that even Inland Revenue staff who do not have children can qualify for WTC as they are so poorly paid!

, but that is up to the IR staff to change.

Thousands of people are having to repeatedly contact IR because of faulty awards and I'm not talking about the ones that haven't filled in the forms properly. It's the quality of people's everyday lives that are affected when this happens, worrying about whether their award is right or if they're going to get another letter in a couple of months time saying it's wrong.

sarahlouise210

Just for the record.... I am not one of the poorly trained or badly paid!!! I am lucky enough to be very well trained, multi skilled and been around long enough to be on the top of my pay scale! I did not take your comments personally at all... as you say it is the vent board and I was speaking for the others not so fortunate or experienced at the receiving end of grief.And yes.. I believe that the Inland Revenue should make sure that staff are completly competant but..........alas! I did say that mistakes will always be made - I agree that it is frustrating ,I myself have received 8 different awards this year (plus identical copy to my husband-total waste of money) however I am in a position to know the computer and system problems and cannot blame entirely the humans(for that is what we are!) I agree with your points , sympathise with your frustrations, there I`ve said it!

nearlyrich

Inland revenue were advertising everywhere that everyone needs to fill in their application form for the next year and I didn't get a "Pack". I tried about 40 times held on forever to get through to ask them to send me a claim form. When I got through, after 2 rings, Yes I was completely shocked and stunned and nearly forgot what I wanted them for!! a really nice friendly Geordie chap told me I don't need to reapply as my award continues. I wonder how many other people have wasted time and phone bill trying to get through because of inaccurate information being advertised?

I preferred to get my Tax relief in my pay packet.

16011996

Inland revenue were advertising everywhere that everyone needs to fill in their application form for the next year and I didn't get a "Pack". I tried about 40 times held on forever to get through to ask them to send me a claim form. When I got through, after 2 rings, Yes I was completely shocked and stunned and nearly forgot what I wanted them for!! a really nice friendly Geordie chap told me I don't need to reapply as my award continues. I wonder how many other people have wasted time and phone bill trying to get through because of inaccurate information being advertised?

I preferred to get my Tax relief in my pay packet.

can you chose? i get some in my pay packet, but some in to my bank. i'd rather get it all together.

Spendless

Inland revenue were advertising everywhere that everyone needs to fill in their application form for the next year and I didn't get a "Pack". I tried about 40 times held on forever to get through to ask them to send me a claim form. When I got through, after 2 rings, Yes I was completely shocked and stunned and nearly forgot what I wanted them for!! a really nice friendly Geordie chap told me I don't need to reapply as my award continues. I wonder how many other people have wasted time and phone bill trying to get through because of inaccurate information being advertised?

Same thing happened to me I returned their form when i didn't need to - i missed the bit at the top of the page that told you this and i was also getting letters asking me why i hadn't returned it ( i was waiting for my hubbys p11D to come out as we have to add this on to income) , so when i did return it i then got letters asking about my change of circs ???, it was only when i posted on benefits and Ted mentioned a radio programme that i understood what had happened.
The adverts IMO were misleading

jellyhead

sorry if my 'muppets' comment upset anyone :-(

i wasn't actually referring to the people putting data in, answering calls, etc. - perhaps i should have made myself more clear. all of my own problems with this system have been caused by computer error, not human error. i meant these higher up in the organisation, the ones that should have written a proper computer system and tested it before implementation.

sarahlouise210

Bravo Jellyhead!
menumenum doodoo be doobee!! ;D ;D ;D

Trix

I got an award notice a couple of weeks back for 2004 - 2005 with re-adjusted payments to my bank and a note on the back saying I owed them £1,277 which was bad enough and I was meaning to contact them to ask about it. Then I got a letter saying I hadn't given enough information and I now owe £5,632

I phoned up and was told I hadn't sent my form back - I said yes I have, he said well we didn't get it. Asked for explanation about award letter and he just kept saying 'we haven't got your form from you so your payments have been stopped'

Now got ANOTHER award notice - this one says they need more info :-/

When I applied last year they 'lost' 2 forms. I phoned up to give them exactly the same info on 9 occassions - once I was on HOLD for 56 minutes (I always write down the date and time I get connected, how long on hold, name of who I'm speaking to, and time the call ended coz I get sick of them telling me they have no record of my call - this way I can find it on my bill and PROVE I phoned ) and I also sent two letters both with the same info as I had already given on the forms and in the phone calls. This was because they kept saying I was working full time (hadn't been working at all for 18 months) and hubby wasn't working - which he was, part time, so they kept giving us a lot less than we should have.

I kept a copy of everything I sent last time but forgot this time so now have to go and find out AGAIN how much hubby earned in a year and how much carers allowance was paid

So how can you make sure they receive the forms? Is it worth sending by recorded delivery?

Spendless

Trix - I would say yes send by Recorded Delivery - I got a very prompt reply from them when i sent a letter this way over a query to do with my youngest being added to my claim

Trix

Thanks spendless - I'll give it a go. They have also 'not received' the letter I sent to them with details of my childcare charges. It said on the form not to send anything in the envelope with it so I didn't and sent it separately. So far this means they have 'not received' 2 forms from last year, a form from this year and a letter!

If I've sent all that and they 'haven't received' them, and everyone else has sent stuff that they 'haven't received' surely there's sack loads of envelopes somewhere that someone should have been noticed by now - either at the post office or at the IR offices ::)