If you're losing working families tax credit - have you been informed officially?

[happyinherts]

Checking bank statements from ATM machine last week and this week wftc is down £30 per week and I can't understand why or get in touch with them to ask as system won't allow you to hold for a human voice, just says they are busy and cuts you off.

No change in family circumstances this year. Yes one of us works 16 hours and one of us works 15 hours - one teenager and total income from employment less than £10,000.

Had no letter to explain why £30 shortfall in working families tax credit - hoping it's for year end adjustments. Surely that's a big cut from such a low family wage.

Any ideas?

Check your entitlement with the HMRC Tax Credit Calculator. The final award is the amount between now and the end of the tax year next April, so not quite the full year. Should be a good enough guide to let you see if the award is correct. If the award is wrong, the helpline is very busy at this time of year but you should persevere. Or you can try writing to.

Tax Credit Office
Preston
PR1 4AT

Good luck

Thanks - no great joy from calculator I'm afraid

Child tax credit calculated at more than we've been receiving and
Working families tax credit calculated at less than we've been receiving but spot on at the £60 we have had for the last two weeks.

Haven't been able to check what tax credit we actually will get as it's paid montly and not due yet. Don't quite understand the figurework (sure I'm not the only one !)

Shouldn't we be receiving renewal packs soon and maybe this change of figurework is year end adjustments.

The other place you can find out your weekly award is the Turn2Us Benefits Calculator. That should show all benefits that you qualify for and shows it per week. Renewal packs are going out but HMRC will usually assume your circumstances are the same as last year unless you tell them differently. It could be adjustments for year end.

We had no letter either, just down £67 last week and this week. I rang to find out what had happened, and she explained that we no longer qualify (she seemed to think the threshold if £18,000, we earned just over 19,000 2011-2012) We've just done the calculator and it confirmed that we no longer qualify for WTC or childcare element. We are totally devastated.
I assumed it wouldn't change until we had done our new claim for the year.
If you call, expect to be on hold for a long time! Hope you sort it out.

Well, that's the first I've heard of threshold being so low as £18,000.

I've heard it being £26,000 for one child rising with more children in family. I'd enquire further if I were you, 37jonsialex, doesn't seem right. The least they could do is send a letter to explain this as you'll never know if it's an error or a cutback otherwise. i'm not altogether sure that all staff are clued up on changes.

Our family income is just over £10,000. My husband on little over minimum wage has had his hours cut and is hanging onto his job which has now became a part time one. At his age and general redundancy situation I don't hold out a lot of hope of finding a job with longer hours. I'm hoping to get feet under table more after caring for an elderly relative for four years, so it's not as if we're happy to live off this wage. We're fortunate we don't have housing costs as mortgage is paid and daughter in reasonable employment pays council tax. Even so I do feel that a cutback to any family earning £10,000 per year is a bit steep. Let's hope it's just a year end adjustment

I don't feel inclined to spend extra money holding on line to tax credits. Hoping for a letter.

We lost our CTC, didn't get WTC. I had a letter maybe 2 months ago.

On an family income of £10,000 surely there's no reason to lose either CTC or WTC is there - especially if your circumstances havent changed.

Oh well, wait and see

Like Smbk, I lost my ctc (didn't get wtc) and got a letter a couple of months ago to say so

It could be just because of the end of the financial year.

Our CTC goes down by about half until renewal comes through and is checked, then we're back up to the usual full amount.
I spoke to someone the other day who couldn't explain why it happens. We just have to wait about 6 weeks for the renewal pack to come through.

Sucks, doesn't it?

What did it say in your last years award notice that you would be getting from 6th April 2012 (think it's on a page near the end of it)?

I am confused as didn't realise I should have said about an increase in my 2011/12 income (although less than £10k) and so I'll be paid too much in this year until I get the review pack I think. So need to make sure I keep it as whatever I get will need to last much of the year as my other payments will get adjusted I guess.

Could it be the change in the hours requirement for WTC? If your DH is PT perhaps his hours no longer meet the cut-off for it?

wouldn't have thought so - we work 31 hours between us. (Eligibility criteria I thought was now 24)

He works 16 hours a week and I work 15.

Don't you both have to work 21 hours now? We have lost £600pm WTC which leaves us unable to pay childcare.

I think from the tax circulatory we are loosing about 1/2 of ours.

We have had no letter.

The year before last we earned less money, though, so maybe that's why we are loosing 100% of the childcare element?

If we really don't get any of the childcare element, it won't make financial sense for me to work.

Why can't it be less confusing. Why can't it all be published somewhere in full, so we can work it out for ourselves with out repeatedly doing the calculator?

UnnamedFemaleProtagonist That is what I am unsure of. I could cut my hours to 19, and not pay after school care, and still end up with the same amount of money, and have 3 hours at home 3 afternoons a week.

The calculator is so confusing. I have three children and am wondering if I put them all in after school club/full time childminder we would qualify? I informed them that we only needed one at the childminder but it totally depends on my timetable. I am a full time student and I work evenings. DH works full time.

"Don't you both have to work 21 hours now?"

A couple has to work 24 hours per week between them to qualify for WTC. A single parent has to work 16 hours per week to qualify for WTC. CTC does not depend on hours worked and the threshold for earning is higher in order to qualify.

"Why can't it all be published somewhere in full"

It is. HMRC's website sets out all the rules and entitlements. However, because there are so many variables, it is not that easy to navigate the ones that apply to you and come out with a total. The HMRC Tax Credit Calculator simplifies the process.

It doesn't tell you the threshold though for three children in childcare. The calculator said we get £20 pw, the advisor on the phone said we now get nothing. We are just above the threshold I think.

I think that they estimate the amount you're due to until you have returned your renewal pack with your actual income for the year.
Once you have received and returned this they can work out the amount you're due accurately.
Hope this sets your mind at rest.