Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Tax credits

37 replies

sunrayscome · 20/05/2021 11:09

Made such a mess of things. I am on a salary of £23'000 - work for social care. During the pandemic I worked a lot of overtime - wanted to do my bit for society and work were encouraging us to do as much overtime as possible.
I have received my annual renewal for tax credits and my P60 states my income was 24'700 as they calculated the over time into my salary
I now have an overpayment of £1'700 and tax credits have been reduced from £57 to £5
I can not make ends meet as tax credits will now base my salary on what it is not for the whole year and feel so stupid that I have let my daughter down - a colleague who is in receipt of tax credits and worked as much over time as me has not been penalised though?

OP posts:
sunrayscome · 20/05/2021 13:07

P60's up to date
2017-2018 £20'904
2018/2019 £21’083
2019-2020 £21'810
2020-2021 £24’700 (actual salary £23'000 increase due to overtime

OP posts:
Comefromaway · 20/05/2021 13:18

ignore your "actual salary" figure. That's irrelevant as they go on what you actually earnt not what you thought you were going to earn.

sunrayscome · 20/05/2021 13:23

I have let them know what the estimate will be for this year - Iesson learnt - no more overtime

OP posts:
TulisaIsBrill · 20/05/2021 14:10

You can do overtime!

Just bung anything you earn extra in your pension - it’s a ludicrously efficient way to build it - you effectively give up 27p now for £1 in your pension if on salary sacrifice.

Lougle · 20/05/2021 21:57

I make your actual overpayment £159.90 (£24700-£21810= £2890. £2500 disregard. £2890-£2500=£390. Deduction is 41% £390×0.41= £159.90).

LakieLady · 20/05/2021 23:02

@Lougle

I make your actual overpayment £159.90 (£24700-£21810= £2890. £2500 disregard. £2890-£2500=£390. Deduction is 41% £390×0.41= £159.90).
They may also be recovering "provisional overpayments" for the early part of 21/22.

Did your childcare costs go down because you were WFH, OP? If you were getting childcare included in your TCs and the costs fell, that would also account for part of the overpayment.

It may be worth ringing them and telling them that your income for this year will be less than last year, because you aren't doing all that overtime any more. They can do an in-year adjustment where hardship is involved, although they may take a bit of persuading.

I'd also check that they have applied the £2,500 disregard. Actually, ask them to explain their workings out, as it doesn't seem right to me (although I'm a bit out of practice at TCs these days, most of my clients are on UC nowadays). I used to be a dab hand at manually calculating TCs too!

If you're paying rent, make sure you tell HB your TCs have gone down, and your Housing Benefit should go up a bit, which will help.

If you're not paying rent, do an online check and see if you'd be better off on Universal Credit. You get more of your income disregarded on UC if you don't have housing costs, so people sometimes are. But bear in mind that the current figures for UC will include the £20pw "Covid uplift" and that will only be paid until the end of September. The monthly UC payment will fall by £86.66 a month after that.

TulisaIsBrill · 21/05/2021 08:17

Don’t forget that it’s usually not a good idea to switch to universal credit if you have savings over 6k, and a terrible one if you having savings over 16k (bye bye - spend that first).

sunrayscome · 21/05/2021 08:26

Thank you all for taking the time to reply - you have all really impressed me with your knowledge. I didn't have any childcare costs and I have informed them that my salary will be lower this year due to not having overtime but the lady said it would not make much difference to the calculation. Thank you all once again

OP posts:
Hankunamatata · 21/05/2021 08:26

You can make a declared estimate for income for the next year.

Get the hmrc app. It's very good for monitoring tax credits. You can also ask for overpayment to be spread.

Faevern · 21/05/2021 09:10

Truly you need to take your award notices to a benefit adviser and have it properly checked and / or ask for a reconsideration and explanation from someone who makes decisions not answers calls on a helpline.

Medusa78 · 03/09/2021 04:22

Good morning all, was wondering if anyone else tax credits havnt gone in today ?

starsigns28 · 15/09/2021 14:13

Nothing went in or should i say my £3 did not go in - phoned up and they gave some confused garbled explanation - I got 2 separate payments this Monday £8 and £9 - used to get £52!

New posts on this thread. Refresh page