Declaring different income to what us shown on tax credits renewal pack

[SpideyMom]

Thought it would be easier starting a new thread than resurrecting the old old.

Hopefully it will be straight forward.

My pack STILL hasn't arrived however I do know I need to declare different figures than what they are currently using. Basically my pension contributions.

Can I do this online or do I have to renew by post? I've planned to do by post having all the evidence ready to send back, but I'm obviously thinking more about speed now. They have reduced my award by alot and am currently struggling, which we already were anyway. So this month is incredibly hard. The sooner they can get it processed the better.

Has anyone had any experience of declaring different figures and how did you have to do it.

TIA x

Wow, I hadn't really considered how long it will fully take to finalise and close it off.... Shit! Easily another few months of hardship then.

This every year

Yes, sorry to bring the bad news but I guess if you go on the worst case scenario and it resolves quicker it'll be a bonus! Hope that's the case for you.

I have personal pension contributions and ha e always just deducted them and never had any issues.
Last year they queried my employment figures as not agreeing to other information they had (P60) so I sent them the pension payments statement and all sorted.
I guess as PAYE RTI submissions have improved and the TC / UC system is updated from this they are now more likely to question discrepancies.

Am waiting for my renewal pack still as have made a larger than usual or sion contribution which will change my figures, would have thought I'd have received it by now - much check online of I can just renew.

To be honest if you know your figures i would just renew online. I had my first pack but the 2nd still hasn't arrived. That said I can see no reason for me needing to wait until my second one arrives. Because there was nothing to pair up the packs. I guess because I knew what was on my first pack and all I had to do was reduce my income it was easy enough for me to do. Normal questions like did you earn during 18/19 figure shown in p60. Have you claimed any benefits.have you had any additional income from x, y and z. And would you like to declare any changes.

Good luck

I'll have a look online again although I did look in early April and am pretty sure I couldn't do it then.
I thought you had to wait for the renewal pack and so while I knew you could do it online I didn't think you could do so before the pack was issued.

@Chasingsquirrels if you can get onto chat and they can tell you if and when it was issued.
I suppose waiting would be the best thing to do but all it asks you is what is on your renewal anyway. It really does depend on your own circumstances though. For me, my work situation and hours havent changed for well over a year now so that would have taken place in my last renewal. It was just declaring a lower income than what has been given to then.

I hope yours arrives soon. My first was was sent on 4th May, after 2 weeks it never arrived so it was reissued. This triggered a further drop in my award (had I have been told this I would have waited a bit long).
Unfortunately my first pack eventually arrived around 3 weeks after it was issued but TC told me I could not renew on this one. My second pack was issued on 23.05 and still not arrived.
I have renewed though the other day and rather annoyingly there was nothing on the declaration that would mean you couldnt renew on the first.

so I have checked my app today and my award has been reduced again. I just cannot understand why.
I cant imagine renewal would have been finalised yet. I did update my income for this year which is actually lower than what was noted.

I really dont understand :-(

Hi ive been following your post, i too have had problems with recieving renewal pack late was sent 08/05 and recieved today, but they issued a new one last week because i hadnt recieved this one.

I also have to update income due to dh paying into a pension which is taken after tax so not the standard way of it being done according to tax credits, i had to do the same last year and payments changed to what they should be the following week, fingers crossed the same happens this year but not holding out any hope of that happening.

Hence payments have been reduced since the renewal pack was issued.

oh i hope its the case then.

I renewed on Sunday and updated my income for this year (being less than what they had). Ive looked today and its decreased again

Oh that doesnt sound good at all, i wonder what the reason is for them decreasing again? Do you get it weekly or monthly? Have you double checked to make sure it isn't a one off payment and then it goes up again.

Dreading doing mine now , as i could really do with the extra im due to be honest.

No it doesn't make sense.

I actually only amended my income yesterday morning. Declaration completed on Sunday evening.

I have sat down with what they have said I am entitled to for the year, deducted what I need to at 41 percent and my current award is much much much less than what it's works out that I should he getting. I have no overpayment due from previous year's. I've checked all final awards for years previous. It's just these pension payments.but that makes my income less so doesn't make sense that my award is now less.

This is all I need

It really doesn't make any sense.

I wonder if it's because you did declaration and then updated income the next day too, i usually just let them estimate dh's income for the year then amend on renewal declaration for the year. Or they are just going to double check everyone who alters their income for last year, which i imagine is going to be a nightmare if they take this route as there will be quite alot of people having compliance checks.

Ive just double checked last years payments to when i renewed and it was definitely the next week that my payments returned to normal. So for instance i renewed on a wednesday, payment next day (thursday usual payment day) stayed the same, then following thursday payment increased-one off payment, then the same payment every thursday for the rest of the tax year.

I think you must be right. I didn't look at it like that to be honest. I just like to keep them as up to date as possible and its not gone in my favour

Hopefully with any luck yours may update again within the next couple of days. I will be sure to come back and update once ive done mine, so we can see if its claims with altered income or just random.

@ap2003 I still can't believe how long they take to arrive yet the deadline is getting closer. My second pack still hasn't arrived. On Thursday it will be 3 weeks since it was reissued.
Though I have done my declaration online I may send all my proof back in the post still. A PP has said they had to provide evidence so maybe I need to just send them just in case they do.

I don't think I will ever understand them. I think I have worked out how they are calculated. I take what they say I am entitled to for the year for all elements. I then deduct the appropriate withdrawal for any earnings above the 6420 threshold to give me my annual award. In which case I wa ls quite alot underpaid last year. But with my award keep reducing I am at a loss.

Hope yours arrives soon. I will update if they rectify or decrease further

I've just logged on and the renewal bit is there (it definately wasn't when I looked in April).

I've gone through the questions and can't complete it because I haven't got my p11d (will chase work)

But the income bit asks for the P60 figure - in previous paper packs there were the working paper and you were talked though deducting relevant pension contributions and gift aid payments. From memory I'm certain I take them both off my employment income.

It also asks me to confirm the information in the renewal pack, which I've got no idea about. I did increase my hours in the year, but I don't know if I told them!

I'll wait another couple of weeks, chase up my p11d and see if the renewal pack comes through.

Well if the new one issued last week doesnt arrive within the next week im going to use the one i received today, the advisor did say that they have had a few issues with people not receiving them, she said people was still waiting for packs issued in april.

Have you tried entitled to calculator? to give you an estimate of what your entitled to, not much has changed as regards to rates i dont think anyway. Also have you included the disregard amounts into your calculation?

With the calculation, if your income changes from one year to the next by more than £2,500 then they don't use the current year income.

CYI = current year income
PYI = prior year income

Income rises
CYI > PYI but less than £2,500: use PYI
CYI > PYU by more than £2,500: use CYI - £2,500

Income falls
CYI < PYI but less than £2,500: use PYI
CYI < PYI by more than £2,500: use CYI + £2,500

Does that help make sense of the figures?

@Chasingsquirrels I was told on Sunday there are no separate parts online. I know in the pack it lists everything. Online, where it asks you to confirm your income (refer to your P60 it says) I was told to deduct it from there as there is no other place to declare it. Seems odd to me as there is nothing that separates your deductions e.g pension and gift aid etc. So I bet they will write back requesting proof.

@ap2003 yes, and both the calculators and my workings out are all on par with each other. I don't expect it to he exact but to be down nearly 200 a month while they have the wrong details isn't right.

things are, well crap to put it nicely. It's mine and my sons birthdays soon so we won't be celebrating them.
I can't afford much of a life for us as money is always tight. But I do like to make birthdays special. I have a credit card but I don't want to start overspending on that. I just want this sorted with tax credits

Thanks @Chasingsquirrels yes it does. My income is only 50 less this year so it should make virtually no difference so why its dropped again I don't know

I agree, the details you input online are very misleading as it specifically says not to make deductions from the P60 figure.
I KNOW that I have to in order to get the correct figure, but if you don't know this you wouldn't input the correct amounts.

Bake a cake for your birthdays and do something free together, good times and memories don't have to cost money. Doesn't help on a day to day basis though. Hope yours are sorted soon.

ive just received a text message to say thanks for your 'tax credits renewal. Processing may take up to 8 weeks from today'.

Hopefully it will be much sooner but i feel relieved its been acknowledged.

Fingers crossed

Morning all

Just checking in to see if anyone's declarations have been processed and how long it took?

Hi

I haven't done my declaration yet, as still waiting till 2 week after they sent the second one, which will be this coming Wednesday. Doubt i will recieve the second one by then but you never know they may surprise me.

Has yours updated yet? Or are you still stuck in limbo not knowing when its going to happen.

To behonest i cant wait till i find a job, wont have to rely on tax credits then, as would only be entitled to a small amout and should be quite a bit better off, been looking and applying for anything that fits the last few months, but nothing has come of it 😔.

@ap2003 its shit isnt it!

this is now my 4th week since my second pack was issued. And it has still not arrived!

Mine is still processing. I am checking everyday...I am desperate. Other than the text message I got saying processing will take 8 weeks from that date, nothing. Though based on that it is still far too soon, but I really am desperate now to get straight with money. Its frustrating as I know it has to be amended because they are dealing with too high a figure currently. But waiting for it to change is hard.

I basically have to save what I get each week and add it to my wages to give me income for next month if that makes sense, so I already know that for July I am going to be significantly down again.

I am totally with you though. I wish so much that I didnt need tax credits. But I feel stuck with my job with no childcare help and having a mortgage to continue to pay etc