Tax credits renewal

[NGC2017]

Hi.

Its that time of year I dread as I'm always filled with worry that somehow I have been overpaid and need to pay money back. I am always very on the ball with updates yet somehow always seem to be overpaid.

Anyway I noticed on monday my award has gone down by £100 a month. Which is frustrating as I'm sure it comes down to my pension contributions remaining unknown, something I can only declare on the declaration.

I contacted tax credits today and was told my renewal pack was posted on 4th May but to expect to wait 2 weeks for it. Seems really long? Sorry for the silly question but has anyone waited quite a long time for their renewal to come through?

I am keen to get things sorted as I can't afford any losses. And I'm not going to lie it's frustrating when all this could have been avoided by being allowed to submit payslips and pension statements to prove the payments have been made. I have many conversations with them last year about to but they didn't seem to care

Any advice is greatly appreciated.

TIA x

I haven't received my renewal pack either. I seem to recall last year it took a long time to come out, and a few weeks to process once I had completed it

I was told to allow 2 weeks from posting. I am just over that so will wait until the end of the week and asked them to resend if not received.
I just want to get it all sorted now

So today I've had to request my pack be resent. I was then told that if I receive the one sent to me on 4th May I have to ignore it as it is no longer valid. I then asked how long I need to wait for the new pack to be received. I was told a further 2-3 weeks because they are very busy at the moment!
Are they taking the piss! They are strict enough with telling you you have to do things by a certain date but it should not potentially take 5 weeks to get my renewal to me

Oh that's ridiculous! I don't understand why the paperwork is needed to do the renewal online. Surely if you have a Gov gateway that should be sufficient!!

I know @PompeyBez it an absolute joke! I even said how stupid when its exactly the same thing. He said but it isn’t as it has a new date on it. I said regardless the information is STILL exactly the same. I then made the comment about how strict they are with their deadlines when it comes to the claimants duties, for him to sarcastically say, ‘well you do have until 31st July to get it done!’

It will be just my luck that is turns up now in the next few days and I will need to bin it and wait for the newly dated one.

It just frustrating as my TC’s have been reduced whilst they wait for details and proof of my pension contributions. It should not take this long to arrive in the post. It was sent 4th May so it should have easily arrived by now. But now I need to wait until June sometime, and then there is the processing time and confirming details from my Pension provider. It is something that should be easy to do if you manage your account online. Imagine the money they could save by doing it all electronically. But no, lets drag it out more.

I hope others have started getting their packs

@NGC2017 I've still not received my pack. They're going to owe me a bit as my earnings were slightly less last year. I've just looked online and my payments have gone down a bit from last year. I guess they assume that everyone gets a raise each year

@PompeyBez I've looked at my projected earnings for this year based on what the tax office believe I will be paid. I then checked my payslip and thought, erm nope still exactly the same as ive been paid for the last few years!

I dont want to tempt fate and say they owe me money, as you never know with TC's but based on the difference I would say they will be be owning me something, especially now they have knocked me down each week

Same person just name changed.

So my renewal has come today but it's my old one, not the newly sent one.

All the arguments I've had with TC recently with them telling me I cannot declare my pension payments has been wrong. My employer has notified them of my pension arrangement so they have requested details of my contributions. So that's a relief.

I just can't believe I have to wait for my next pack to arrive. The actually declaration part is not dated as far as I can see. And surely no matter the number of packs they send your renewal number will remain the same?
Do I just wait another few weeks til the most recently dated one arrives or chance it with the one I've received?

I got a surprise backdated payrise in March which I've now learned I've entirely lost in tax credit repayments

Oh well. I suspect it's pushed me over the earnings threshold and after nearly a decade and now I don't need childcare I can finally and joyfully do away with the whole thing.

After being audited every year for ages and the stress of that awful year where they ballsed the whole thing up, I may well have a ceremonial bonfire of all the paperwork.

@notfromworcester it sucks that your rise got lost in repayments. I used to get a Christmas bonus. Only around £300. I told my boss thank you but I decline my bonus going forward as what they worked out as the overpayment made no sense. And it didn't make sense to get the bonus as it took more away from me over the remaining months. The 300 was taken back and then alot more.

You are very lucky though. I would love to be in a position where I dontneed them anymore. The stress is terrible.

I contacted TC and was told that yes it's the same declaration, but it may also not be. For that reason they can only accept the most recently dated one. Sounds like bullshit to me though as how can it possibly be any different if it has been posted and not been worked on due to it having been issued.
So I guess I'm best wait to be on the safe side though it just seems ridiculous

I will never get this system.

My tax credits reduced by £100 at the start of May which I assume was when they issued my pack.

I cannot return my declaration back until my mort recent pack has been received.

However today I have checked and my TC have been reduced yet again by another £15 a week. What the hell? ABSOLUTELY NO CHANGES HAVE BEEN MADE! I get the first reduction as they still need details of my pension contributions. But to reduce them again I cannot understand why this has happened when nothing has been declared or changed

@SpideyMom I have had the same thing with bonuses. I can quite understand why people stay on reduced hours as the minute you work and earn more, it's lost.

And I don't think anyone actually understands how they're calculated. The whole system is so convoluted it's ridiculous.

@notfromworcester I actually cried yesterday. I know, stupid right but at the moment I've actually lost more than what we have to live on each month. I know I am guaranteed a rotten June, but chances are it will creep into July as well

My mom said she thinks they have reduced again as sending a new renewal pack has recalculated what I've been paid against what they say I am due for the year. I wish the advisor would have told me that as I probably would have waited longer. Saying that it arrived pretty much 3 weeks after it was meant to have been sent so it was late.

I sat down yesterday and wrote down what they say I am entitled to annually. I then calculate the 41 percent reduction to the portion of my income over the 6420 to give me what 'I should be awarded for the year'. Only time will tell if this is what it turns out to be. I doubt it though as I've never understood how they calculate things.

But in the meantime we will be struggling badly

Oh @SpideyMom I'm so sorry. I hope things get better for you quickly.

We've just been through the house and ebayed a load of things and sent old Xbox games to music magpie. It's raised £200 towards the £1200 overpayment I'm going to have to clear in the next couple of months. It's actually worth me doing overtime at work for the first time ever.

Oh no @notfromworcester it really does make you wonder how on earth they allow it to get to such an overpayment. They almost treat it like you have this sort of money left over and lying around. I literally get half way through the month and money is so tight. By month end I am down to pounds, if not pennies.

Selling items could be a good idea actually. I will see what we have at home.

Still no new pack received, I am so desperate to get it done now as well. Luckily I have all the information ready to send back to them, so when it does arrive I can get it back to them straight away, and then I guess its beyond my control how long it takes them to process it. I will be upset though if it is identical to the one I have already received as it could have been sent back by now. For some reason as well I suspect it will be the same.

I am gutted though as I will have this every year. All because of the type of pension I am in. Annoyingly my employer tells HMRC that I am paying into a pension, but because its taken after tax and NI, that they will need to collect these details from me. This is what is actually written on my letter from them. I cant help but think that if my employer could just declare the figure I contribute too along with my salary, all this would be avoided, but apparently they cant ☹

God help how it will work when I am moved over to UC. In one sense it will avoid any overpayments, but in another they will be using a declared income which is actually higher than what is paid into my bank account, so I am already worrying about that ☹

Sorry if covered

Do I reduce my income for 2018/19 by how much I contributed to my private pension?

Yes as pension contributions aren't counted.

I have to gross mine up as they are taken after tax and national insurance. Basically my salary is fully taxed etc and then I pay my contribution. I was told to gross it up like this (total contributions) x 100 / 80

@SpideyMom

I have clarity! You do NOT deduct workplace pension

Only what you pay in to a private pension

@Amibeingdaft81 yes.

However my pension is a relief at source scheme through work therefore I have to deduct mine also. It isn't a trypical workplace pension mine as my contributions are paid on my behalf before i get my salary, therefore it has already been subject to tax and national insurance.

So yes, deduct your grossed contributions for 2018/19 to give you the figure tax credits need

Arrrrgh. Still no declaration. I can't even explain how desperate I am. I am down to under £10 to last the whole month whilst I still haven't been able to return my declaration. Im going to have to resort to borrowing off family to help us live whilst this is still ongoing.

I am gutted. None of this should be happening as my employer tells them I pay into a pension but because its taken after tax and NI they do not give them a figure. I keep thinking if they could just tell them the figure when they tell them my pension arrangements I wouldn't have so many weeks of waiting around

Finally received my renewal pack this morning!

@PompeyBez brilliant, when was yours sent?

I had to call them again yesterday. I always seem to get a rude arsehole! I was told well you have until 6th June. I argued what postal service takes this long.
I am so angry as it could have been done ages ago but I am having to wait.

Still no pack for me. And wait til I find that the one I have received it the same as the replacement sent...i will be fuming

@SpideyMom the letter is dated 6th May!

oh god! ive not got a chance in hell then for anytime soon. My replacement was sent our 23rd May!

I am relying on my credit card, which I absolutely hate.

Has anyone had any experience of declaring something different than what is shown on your declaration? Can this be done online or does it have to be done through the post?

@SpideyMom I'm pretty sure you have to wait for the renewal pack. I've tried in the past to amend the past year over the phone, and they wouldn't let me. Just the current year. I hope the renewal pack arrives soon! I've completed my renewal so hoping it gets processed quickly as I know they owe me some money!