Just got Tax Credit exemption certificate..

charlottevwa

BARGAINHUNTER!... the letter i got through today says a few things:

The certificate entitles you to:

• the full value of a voucher towards the cost of glasses or contact lenses.

also...

If you have already paid NHS charges and wish to claim a refund, you must make your claim within 3 months of:

• paying a deposit or the full charge for glasses or contact lenses.

This is where i got this idea from.. seems quite clear to me. I am going to specsavers on saturday so will let you know how that goes. Btw, my contacts are also on a quarterly direct debit.

Also... lol... I used to get my contacts off the internet and I have never had to show them my prescription, so maybe it depends what site you order off.. I used to get mine off: https://www.visiondirect.co.uk

BARGAINHUNTER!

charlottevwa wrote: »

BARGAINHUNTER!... the letter i got through today says a few things:

The certificate entitles you to:

• the full value of a voucher towards the cost of glasses or contact lenses.

also...

If you have already paid NHS charges and wish to claim a refund, you must make your claim within 3 months of:

• paying a deposit or the full charge for glasses or contact lenses.

This is where i got this idea from.. seems quite clear to me. I am going to specsavers on saturday so will let you know how that goes. Btw, my contacts are also on a quarterly direct debit.

Also... lol... I used to get my contacts off the internet and I have never had to show them my prescription, so maybe it depends what site you order off.. I used to get mine off: www.visiondirect.co.uk

I would be really interested in what Specsavers say about your contacts as i did ask over a year ago so perhaps things changed or they got it wrong or didn't understand the rules? I currently pay £10 a month by direct debit for monthly disposable lenses, solutions and aftercare. My lenses are delivered to me every 3 months. Please let me know what they say!

flea72

yes they will claim back overpayments, they take it out of the following years award

they only say dont notify them about increases in income, because it would make them too much work, if they had to send out revised award notices, everytime some changed jobs or got a payrise. They struggle enough, just to keep on top of people with no changes

However, for anyone with a family income of between £12K and £20K there is very little difference in their entitlement to tax credits, so that is probably why youre finding your payments havent decreased that much. And no they dont based it on the previous years income, they just use that figure as most peoples incomes dont change considerably, so its a safe figure to work from. the fact you have confirmed your income for this coming year, means your award has been based on this, not last years figures

When did you notify them of your change in income, as it may be that the health card was issued before your tax credit award was sorted. i dont think you are allowed to use it, if your entitlement has ceased, as its fraud isnt it?

Flea

woozywendy

[quote=

When did you notify them of your change in income, as it may be that the health card was issued before your tax credit award was sorted. i dont think you are allowed to use it, if your entitlement has ceased, as its fraud isnt it?

[/quote]

When we got our card our wages went above the limit due to a bonus my husband got but it does state you can carry on using the card until the expire date on it.

charlottevwa

BARGAINHUNTER! wrote: »

I would be really interested in what Specsavers say about your contacts as i did ask over a year ago so perhaps things changed or they got it wrong or didn't understand the rules? I currently pay £10 a month by direct debit for monthly disposable lenses, solutions and aftercare. My lenses are delivered to me every 3 months. Please let me know what they say!

I will do.. I'm going to take the letter with me too, as it's very clear on there, so i will shove it in their faces if necessary! I want my discount! lol

charlottevwa

flea72 wrote: »

yes they will claim back overpayments, they take it out of the following years award

they only say dont notify them about increases in income, because it would make them too much work, if they had to send out revised award notices, everytime some changed jobs or got a payrise. They struggle enough, just to keep on top of people with no changes

However, for anyone with a family income of between £12K and £20K there is very little difference in their entitlement to tax credits, so that is probably why youre finding your payments havent decreased that much. And no they dont based it on the previous years income, they just use that figure as most peoples incomes dont change considerably, so its a safe figure to work from. the fact you have confirmed your income for this coming year, means your award has been based on this, not last years figures

When did you notify them of your change in income, as it may be that the health card was issued before your tax credit award was sorted. i dont think you are allowed to use it, if your entitlement has ceased, as its fraud isnt it?

Flea

No. on a wage over £20K, we chouldnt get any working tax credits... we dont usually. I informed them of this years income back in april when i filled in the form stating last years wage.
They have sent through a letter saying what this years wage will be, and we are getting tax credits this year based on last years wage... But next year we are going to get pretty much nothing.

It isnt fraud, this is how they work.

msmicawber

That's correct, Charlotte. I was in the same position a couple of years ago and checked with them at the time. I can also confirm that I haven't been placed in an overpayment situation, my Tax Credits have just gone down and become ineligible this year for the exemption card.