can you restart working tax credits?

[richmal3]

I'm a single parent, currently working 16 hours a week and receiving working tax credit. My employer wants me to up my hours, which would mean that I'd no longer be eligible for WTC although would continue to receive child tax credit.

My concern is that whilst I'm relatively well paid where I work now, it's really stressful and I've been looking at other, less well paid jobs. If I upped my hours now and my WTC stopped, would I then be able to start claiming again if I moved to a lower paid job?

I can't find out if they keep your claim open if your income goes up, or if they close it and you subsequently have to apply for universal credit if your income drops. I've googled this endlessly but can't find anything that relates to these particular circumstances. Anyone know?

Have you put the new hours and pay through their calculator? www.gov.uk/tax-credits-calculator

It seems to me that you wouldn't have to worry about the increase in pay until the end of the financial year, and you'd be applying on a renewal basis, HOWEVER, you may end up having to repay the credits if they've overpaid in the interim.

www.moneysavingexpert.com/family/tax-credit-child-working-overpayment/

Why don't you ring the tax office and ask how it works? Just say you want to apply (not that you've been offered) for more hours, but are also looking to change jobs, and what does that mean for you.

Thanks CornishPorsche. Yes, I've put the new hours through calculator which is why I know I won't get WTC. I'm not worried about overpayment, I'm worried about WTC being stopped and then not being able to restart it if my income subsequently goes down. I did ring the tax office and asked precisely this question but they just couldn't grasp what I was asking, no matter how many times I tried to explain it.

I understand. And yes, the guidance is awful on this! However, the point around increasing your income stands - it only gets reported on annually, so you could probably buy yourself some time to look for that new job?