Tax credit complaint/error

[Prusik]

So upon advice of some lovely MNers I rang the tax credit office and it turns out we are entitled to £60 a week support in the form of tax credits. A relief after we were initially rejected.

However, the reason we were rejected is because they didn't have my son on my claim form. I called them in April to update details (as we were waiting to complete tax returns). I gave them final figures for 16-17 income and was told that I'd likely be backdated money from when my son was born as they revise figures for self employed and then they'd calculate for 17-18.

This all seemed pretty simple until I had a letter saying I was rejected. The lady I spoke to in April said I could call in August if I needed to and not to call before then.

So we're entitled to £60 a week which they will backdate for 31 days. HOWEVER we were due at least £60 a week since Jan and it looks like we won't be getting that back due to their error. We've increased our debt levels since Jan and are now screwed with a massive credit card bill due to their error.

I'm so gutted. I'll ring CAB tomorrow. Does anyone have any further advice? It seems so unfair that we've been so careful with our money yet due to their error we're now saddled with debt that is going to be hard to repay

We've increased our debt levels since Jan and are now screwed with a massive credit card bill due to their error.

That's not the fault of tax credits

I would suggest you are either entitled to back money or you are not. If they say not you have little chance of getting

However, the reason we were rejected is because they didn't have my son on my claim form. I called them in April to update details

This is confusing but it is also the vital part. Did you call in April to add your son? Or was he added later in August?

My ex fraudulently continued claim for our ds for 9 months despite me sending in the evidence they requested. . Only backdated me 31 days!! They change the rules to suit themselves. . When youngest ds was born they took ten weeks to update my claim then drip fed me the cash over months so looked to the council I had extra each week and had my HB reduced!! Total arses imo.

He was added in April as per the instructions I was given. Only the person I spoke to evidently didn't add him to the claim. This is my frustration

Only the person I spoke to evidently didn't add him to the claim.

Get them to pull up the phone recording

Good luck as I have tried that and still lost appeal. . Funny how they couldn't find the calls I pulled up. Despite me sending phone bills. .

Oo now there's a good idea! I even spent ages with the lady working out how many weeks of maternity leave I'd taken as I didn't have that figure to hand. I asked the operative last week when the records said and apparently it just says regarding April "discussed updates of revised claim" and nothing more. I'll call tomorrow to try to obtain the recording. That's amazing, thank you.

I really hope they don't lose the recordings. £60 a week since Jan is an awful lot of money. It'll clear all of the debt we've built up since Jan. It's just so disheartening that we've been so careful and are now in debt because someone didn't update our records

You won't get money backdated to January if you didn't add your dc until April. If it is found that they made an error in April you should get it backdated to March.

Ah yeah, that makes some sense. I'm just so disappointed at the misinformation they've given us. Serves me right for following their advice.

They don't actually give you the backdated payment as a lump sum, it's added onto your yearly entitlement and paid weekly. I had a similar issue with them, they will only backdate 31 days. They are also withholding £500 of mine until next April until they can do a previous years tax check. Did my head in as you just get told different things by different advisors on the phone!