Tax credits being stopped - confused

[Cloudminnow]

We had a letter today saying the tax credits will no longer be paid to joint incomes of £26K plus. Does this mean that joint household income can't exceed £26K, or does it mean neither partner can earn more than this? For example could each partner earn £25K and still receive it?

Tax credits were designed to buffer low wages and ensure everyone had a decent standard of living.

Using it to buy food is what it is for!

It's absolutely no bloody wonder they are stripping these things from everyone with nutters like you banging on about spending £200 of your tax credits on music lessons and pianos!

What do you spend your Child Benefit on?

Maybe she thinks I should eat my child? Austerity measures and all that

Well I received my letter a few weeks ago and 'phoned them up today. Just told them our income which admittedly has gone down now as dh is no longer working (carer for ds with SN) and they just said that our credits would now continue and not to worry. I suppose as long as you can prove your income that's fine.

From the same HM Revenue site someone posted earlier:

"You could still qualify from 6 April 2012 if your income is above these amounts. For example, if you pay for registered or approved childcare, are disabled, or have more than one or two children."

How about some clarity from the bloody government.

We have received quite some help due to the childcare element of child tax credit. We are (not much) above the £32,000 threshold (2 children, only 1 in childcare).

They must have ways of working it out so why can't they make those methods available.

Ranty rant rant.

Cagney well, desperate times...!

I feel sorry for you.Somebody are relying on Child tax credtit,Child benefit money to buy food! How did you feed yourself before your Dc were born then?

Spending it on a piano what a joke, you clearly are not hard up by any means, you deserve nothing, a secondhand Yamaha or Casio etc keyboard off Ebay is more then good enough for a child to learn on, get a sense of perspective you nutter.

I spend my £30 a week (£20 CB, £10 TC) on food, I still have savings from when I was working full-time (enough to buy a small car like a Kia or Skoda etc thats as near as I will say) that I try desperately not to see vanish on nothing (I.E needed things like food) my savings are for buying items and for when money is really needed, so my £30 is spent on proper fugal foods, I do a lot of cooking. Boyfriends money all goes on the rent, tax, bills and travel to work, he does try to keep over 1k in the account just in case, but we live in London and everything costs a fortune so that drops often.

Just how many music lessons per month does £200 buy?

think about this one for anyone who has overpayments and no longer entitled to tax credits from April 2012 ....I currently have an over-payment of £5480 from 2010/11, they calculated my application incorrectly and my payments went from £64 a month to £410 a month in 201/11, I queried this several times and each time they told me it was correct, even after they told me about the error they still gave me money!!!!
I was paying back the overpayment from future payments for the next 8 years which suited us both, as should have received the basic £545 a year.
Looks like i shall be a lovely payment letter soon then (luckily I had sense and kept most of the money but I think about those who are not in such a fortunate position.

The situation you describe ladybirdpoppy is because they put an agency more normally in charge of collecting tax in charge of paying out a benefit. (Well done that man Gordon ) HMRC has, quite rightly, a reputation for not being warm and fuzzy towards anyone avoiding paying tax owed. The duty of care is on the taxpayer to make sure they're paying the correct amount and, if the wrong amount is requested by the tax office, it's still largely the taxpayer's responsibility to point out the error and pay the right amount. They take the same approach with tax credits. Glad you put the money aside.

thanks, that explains the reasons why I never got vague answers over the phone when eventually i got through, several times I called to say it was too much and I received responses "that's what is showing on screen", there was only 1 person who actually checked it and discovered it was wrong.
I actually asked them to stop paying the tax credits at the of end of March 11 for the next tax year 11/12 as I knew I would be in overpayment, their response was you will have to wait for the form to be sent out and update but my DH is self employed and it can take a few months for his SE60 to come through ..... try to be honest and it gets you no where!