Tax credit "helpline"

[earlydoors42]

AIBU to be so frustrated that I can't get to speak to anyone at tax credits?! And also frustrated that I have to!

I had a weird one-off payment from my old pension company last year for £955. I had to declare it on my tax self assessment and in the "other income" part of tax credit renewal.

I put the figure of £655 in the "other income" box as advised by their paperwork (as you knock off the first £300 of other income) and also advised by a tax credit adviser on the phone. He literally told me what number to put in that box.

I submitted my renewal and tax return a while ago. Today I got a letter saying that the amount earned from pension in my tax self assessment doesn't match the amount in my "other income" section, and I need to enter the correct amount. It repeats that I need to take £300 off the figure and that I need to do my renewal by 31 July. It doesn't include any actual figures, just says I have done it wrong.

So it seems to be saying my renewal has been stopped! If I redo it, I have no option except to put the same figure back in that box! And I can't get through on the phone line, it won't even let me wait in a queue!

Aaaaaargh!! Do I have to keep ringing until I get through (annoying as there are recordings to listen to, and the woman asking you to tell her in a few words, the reason for your call) or just redo my renewal exactly as I did it before?!

Wait for the pause for your information then either stay silent or mash the keypad. This should get you in the queue for an advisor as the automated service can't help

Thank you! I tried that but still ended up cut off. I feel like crying. Will try again later and keep quiet again :-)

They do an online chat which is usually helpful, you can save and print it also. Also there is government gateway online to do renewals etc

If it is a pension payout should it be in a different section to other income and that's what the problem is?
I get widowed parents allowance (state pension) and this went in a different box to my interest income (from which the £300 is deducted) when I did my return yesterday.

Chasing squirrels has given you the answer.

From the renewal guidance notes:

"Your income
Employed income and income from occupational pensions
Your Annual Review may show income your employer(s) or occupational pension provider(s) have provided
to HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC). The figure will be the total income they provided for the annual
review period. You may be able to make deductions from this figure (see ‘Deductions’ below). If you had
more than one employer or occupational pension provider, the total income from all of them will be shown.
If you were claiming as a couple and were both working, your individual incomes will be shown separately.
These are the income figures we’ll use to finalise your claim, so it’s important you tell us if you think
they’re wrong.
You can find your earnings details on all your P60’s, P45’s or payslips. Income we use to
calculate your tax credits includes:
• earnings from employment – you and your partner’s total earned income (shown as
‘total pay for the year’ on your P60, P45 or payslips)
• occupational pensions – the total of any pensions you and your partner received from
a previous or continuing employment
• some benefits in kind you or your partner may have received – you can find details on your P11D"

Sorted it out in webchat. It was in the right place and was the right amount. They are doing a trial of merging self assessment info with tax credit info and "in some cases" it is wrongly flagging up that the figures don't match. When in fact they do match.

So over 2 hours wasted to try to sort out something that was their error. I did get a "sorry about that" in the webchat but pretty annoyed that I got this letter at all!

The tax credits themselves got the info from HMRC to start with and put it in the "other income" part of the form. It was a one off payment where my previous pension company realised they had miscalculated so hadn't paid enough when I transferred to another pension company a year before that.

I commented on your thread earlier then opened my post to find a letter from HMRC saying my pension income didn't match my self assessment.

I've never paid or received anything to do with pensions or self assessment. Very strange.

Yes the web chat is usually helpful and then you can save it for the future in case anyone queries anything

Oh that is crazy, Lipstick! At least mine sort of made sense - however maybe it was entirely random and just appeared to make sense! Argh!

I didn't manage to save the webchat as I accidentally pressed "back" on my phone and lost it :-(

Glad you got it sorted.
When you'd put weird pension thingie in your OP I did wonder whether it was actually pension or some sort of compensation, or interest on compensation rather than actual pension.
But very annoying having to waste your time on their errors.