Tax Credits have just made a payment of £1300 to me

[Ellisisland]

Am very confused. Just checked my bank and there is a payment of £1300 in there from tax credits. Is this because of the renewal? I get tax credits for me and DH together WTC and CTC. DH earnt a lot less this year than the figures I gave them last year. Is this why? Have had no letters from them. Am very confused any advice would be appreciated.

A correction pmt can arrive before the written explanation, it will be down to the renewal, this happened to us a few years ago so we treated ourselves to a little holiday and a new carpet. ENJOY!

Same here about a week ago £305 appeared then a letter arrived about a week later from tax credits people. Enjoy how nice!

Thanks! Was worried they might have made a mistake and want it back! So it's probably a correction payment from last year then? Hopefully I'll get a letter in the next few days that will explain it all.

Does anybody's knows what happens with reduced incomes with the changes to the income disregard?
I'm just thinking that if somebody's income was £1000 less than the previous year then do they still get a lump sum when the renewal has been done or is that now disregarded?

Ellis how long ago did you put the renewal in?

I got a lump sum last year, it was a very very nice surprise

i would call to find out, i wouldn't trust anything like this.

Once your renewal is processed your last years award will be finalised and your claim renewed for this year and you will be sent an award notice for each year in the post. However as the notices come out second class you usually get the payment before you get the letter telling you about the payment.
I would wait for your notice in the post, it will show you on there how your award has been calculate and you will be able to check that all the figures are correct etc. You could phone but the lines are so busy in the renewals period.

If your income for 13/14 was less than your award for that year was based on then you may well be owed some money

Last year I had a £3000 lump sum payment. I phoned up to check what it was for and they seemed pretty adamant it was owed me even though I still haven't worked out how !! You usually get the payment before the letter to explain why you got it.

gosh I wish this had happened to me!

Thanks all

Have just been playing around on the online HMRC calculator and that says I would be owed the money so I rang them and they have just confirmed my figures etc so it's legit. I always photocopy my renewal because in case they ever make a mistake I know exactly what I have said!

Will move it into savings for now and wait for the letter to confirm.

They misred our application and assumed I earned nothing (despite working 30 odd hours and giving them the right figure !). They paid a big chunk into our account (no letter until a few days later - I just happened to check the account that day or I wouldn't have noticed it). We rang them and they corrected their mistake - we didn't have to pay anything back, they just reduced future payments until it balanced out.

And I was feeling happy at getting a £29 tax refund this morning

Glad to hear its correct! You would not believe how many people don't check the figures on their award notice half the time after filling the form in wrong if the details are wrong then it's a simple matter of calling to get it corrected - if you call before 31st July, if not it's nigh on impossible to get it put right!