Income, Tax credits and maternity pay!!

[miaboo]

Happy New Year everyone!!
Can someone please help me as I am abit confused!
I am going on maternity leave hopefully at the end of june, so July till the end of the tax year (2013) I will be on maternity pay and April, may and June of this year normal wages.
When you renew your tax credits claim in April this year do I give them an estimated income of 3 months normal wages and 9 months maternity pay, and do you declare all maternity pay or just part?
If I give them my april 2012 p60 amount this will be higher than I am getting this year? So do I do the estimate?

Tax Credits are based on the previous tax-year's taxable income so that's what you have to declare in April 2012... your 2011-2012 income. Then, when your income drops in June, you should contact them again, to say that your circumstances have significantly changed owing to maternity leave... then they recalculate your new award.

When I was on Maternity leave and phoned tax credits after the birth of my 2nd child they said that they weren't interested in my pay for that current tax year as they used the previous years information even when I said I was the main breadwinner and our income had significantly dropped. We struggled the whole time I was off. I returned to work in the Feb and when the renewals went back they ended up having to pay £3000 into my account in the July due to been underpaid. They agreed the guy I spoke to should have adjusted my income to increase my payments at the time.

I have just started maternity leave for dc3 last week and I'm tempted to just use my current income again as I'm useless at saving and it would be nice to get a little lump sum to put towards a holiday when I'm back at work

don't forget to deduct £100 for every week your on smp, up to 39 weeks. So if all your smp falls within the current tax year you can deduct a further £3900 from your income.

What sarahken said. I always tell people this