tax credits help

[tadders]

I wonder if anyone can advise me on this as I've done online 'chat' and alos spoken to an adviser but it was as clear as mud

I went back to work after a long gap in May 2017 in a temp job. On renewal of tax credits I put in my six months salary plus my dh's as income and I received lesser amount of TC due to income. After six months job ended but I managed to get another one and updated TC dept. I have now rec'd an overpayment letter saying that I shouldn't have rec'd any tax credits in that year as total income for the year was over the amount allowed.
I can't get anyone to understand that when I did the renewal our joint income was under the limit and thus qualified .It was only by chance that I got another job later on in the year

HELP!!!

Bump

Tax credits are correct. They're calculated on a full tax year basis, not a rolling monthly period, so if at some point in the tax year you exceed the eligibility threshold you owe it back, even though you needed it at the time.

You have to estimate what your income for the year will be and they advise it's best to over estimate.

I've just started a new business and have no clue what my income will be so once I start earning I will have to look at my monthly figure and round it up. Similarly DH will get a bonus and we have to guess what that will be. We'll add up all our guestimates and then give the figure to tax credits. Each month I'll look at the figures, work out what is left of the year and what I expect we will earn. At least that way any tax credit payments will be adjusted and hopefully if we do get an overpayment it won't be too big, if at all.

Unfortunately they are correct, tax credits are on the year as a whole. Universal credits are done on a month by month basis.

thanks everyone-- disappointing but nowt else I can do