Tax credits backdated?

[Thatsthatthen87]

I've just had a fairly decent amount of money paid into my bank account by HMRC. The letter I've received says they've been informed by DWP that I'm in receipt of DLA for my child and on that basis, am entitled to the disability element of tax credits. The money they've paid is for 2016-2017. Has this happened to anyone else? If they've only just become aware that my son has a disability, do they not 'owe' money from 2017- now? I'm aware i sound really greedy but I'm confused.

Was the DLA backdated too? I got my disability element backdated to the same time the DLA was granted. It was only a few months for us though, not years.

No, I've been entitled to DLA (well, my youngest has) for years. The way HMRC have worded the letter sounds as though they've only just become aware. It was over £1000 just for one year. Very helpful anyway!

Ahh, so you had the DLA but they didn’t add the disability element to your claim. And now they know you’ve had the DLA all this time they have given you the disability element you should have had all along?

If it’s that then it’s your money, you were eligible and didn’t get it. Consider it a windfall!

They've paid it for the year 2016-2017 so that's why I'm wondering if there will be any more. Very entitled I know but life is expensive with an autistic son. 🤣

Well, life is expensive regardless. And I'm on a lovely low income so £1000 is really helpful to me!

They probably calculated it correctly from 2017 onwards but when reviewing your claim noticed they'd missed the disability element from when it started in 2016. Always worth ringing them to check though, unless you've kept hold of your previous year's award letters which will probably show the element on them. Nice to get an underpayment rather than an overpayment!

So are you getting the disability element now?

@Babyroobs I don't know, nothing has changed on the hmrc app!

Use their chat function tomorrow they were helpful when I had a query.

Do you get an annual letter from them with the award and payments on? It will tell you on there whether you have the child disability element on your claim.

You need to ask them for copies of the award letters with the new calculations for each tax year (2016-17, 2017-18, 2018-19, 2019-20, 2020-21, 2021-22).

Does your child get middle or higher rate care? Do you remember when it was first awarded?

The disabled child element is £3,545/year (that's for this tax year, it will be slightly less for each previous year) so if your child has been getting DLA all these years, and you haven't been getting the disabled child element, you will hopefully get a very large back payment.

Please be aware that if you're getting other benefits (eg income support or housing benefit) you will need to update them if and when you get large sums of backdated tax credits - as any increase in savings above £6k will affect those benefits.