Tax credit rebate LOOK - those of us with children born before April 2003 may be entitled to some money!!

[TheMoistWorldOfSquelchedBrains]

Someone at work told me about this. Couldn't believe it at first, but she has called the HMRC & apparently it's right.

Before Child Tax Credits & Working Tax Credit, there was something called Children's tax credit. The Inland Revenue didn't publicise this, so very few people claimed it. Looks like if you were working, and your child was a baby during 2001 - April 2003 you can claim £1049, or £500 or so if you had an older child.

There isn't an awful lot of info on the HMRC site about this (understandably I guess), but you need to go there to downlaod the application form 11CTC
Apparently you can make claims until the end of Jan 2009 and then no more.

The site taxcredits.org seems to explain it all quite well, but beware they are sharks who want to charge you for making the claim on your behalf, when on the face of it, it seems quite simple to complete the HMRC form.

You need your p60 / tax code for the year in question.

As I say, I don't know much about this, and it does almost seem too good to be true, so if anyone else has any info please let us know.

Potentially exciting though, no?

M1ssunderstood, I'm glad to hear that you got cheques.

I posted our form in the middle of January, but recorded delivery, after having phoned first to check if we were entitled to claim. We haven't heard anything yet though, I was hoping that by now we might have received our cheque.

Am I to ambitious? will it take longer, anyone know?

Catweazle, at the time I was living with XP who was working fulltime.

According to the stuff I printed off it says I can claim but only claim 50%.

I got home from work tonight and dh had received a letter today telling him that according to their files he's already received this tax relief so we're not getting anything

I'm quite annoyed actually as we phoned them first to check whether or not we'd had it and they said no you've not so go ahead and apply and I got all excited about the fact that we were getting this money and now we're not!

YIPPEE!!!!!! I AM SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO EXCITED!!!!!

We got a cheque this morning for just under £1200 . I screamed the house down!!!! Kids were looking at me like I was crazy!

We have been to town, paid in the cheque and then went to the jewellers to sort out my ring. Bought the children a little treat and 2 jumpers for me from Topshop

Happy days!!!!

Hope more of you get something.

Well the info that the inland revenue is giving out is incorrect then catweazle as the forms that i printed off quite clearly say that you can claim if your partner was paying tax in that period.

I claimed as a single perosn no longer living with ds's dad. Accordin to the info printed fromn the inland revenue site, I am eligable to claim half. Why does it say that if it isn't true ???

Load of bolocks from Inland Rev as usual then.

And don't don't talk to me like I am thick.

I didn't say that I didn't believe you. What I said was that the information given out by the IR is misleading, but then isn't it always.

IR only have themselves to blame if they are getting claims from people who aren't entitled. They are the ones that put misleading information out there.

Mutt is right, your attitude is very condescending so it sounds like you are in the right job.

So basically, because xp and I are no longer together, and only he was working at the time I had our dc (which is the case for more than not i reckon), then only he is entitled to claim, and could have only claimed half anyway ??
The info I got from IR explained non of that.

Sent my forms off recorded delivery mid December. Got a letter today telling me that they have been unable to trace any records for me and asked for more info i.e. NI number, D.O.B etc most of which I gave them in the form and covering letter. Phoned the number on the letter to give them the info and the person on other end of phone said they have my records from Nov last year but before that they cant access any records for me, he could seen that there had been records but they werent available any more!!!!!!! He then tried to back track and said it was probably a system error and advised me to write to the address on the letter with the information. I have done and sent by recorded delivery again along with asking for an explanation about my records.

So now not only am I waiting to see if I am entitled to this because I am sure I havent had it but also where my tax records covering 1991 - 2008 have gone.

Hope others are having more luck than me.

I sent my form off (with a covering letter setting out NI number, DOB etc in case of any further queries) and still not heard. Sent a chasing letter together with photocopies of the form and previous letter mid March and still waiting.....

I hounded my mum to fill the form in and I sent it recorded delivery 3 days before the closing date - and et voila a cheque for £591.50 was waiting for her when she got home today

bugger! good for you WWW but sounds like mine has been ignored/lost in system

Good for you WWW!
MOS dont give up hope just yet - it took exactly 3 months from the date they signed for my forms to the date they wrote the letter asking for more info from me. I guess it depends on each tax office and how far behind they are.
Fingers crossed for some good news soon.

I got a letter on saturday saying that should be receiving another letter soon with the amount they owe us. yippee. thanks OP

Thanks op, we got a letter this morning saying we would be getting £600 paid into our account soon

We had a cheque last weekend for £600.

I finally received a letter yesterday having had to chase several times to see what was happening.
The numpties/stupid people state that they are unable to refund me as I didn't pay tax that year! This is despite me providing them with all the information confirming where I worked, NI number etc. I was working for the same firm from 1999 to October 2003 and paid quite a bit of tax on my income yet they still claim I didn't pay tax in the year ending April 5 2003.
Unfortunately I'm out of the UK until end of June so won't get access to my payslips/P60 til then and no doubt when I do forward them they'll just lose me in the system!

thanks soooo much to the OP for publicising this. I never would have known about it otherwise. I applied in November and received a cheque for ove £1,300 a couple of weeks ago. Originally I was sent a letter saying I wasn't eligible but after gathering all my paperwork together and getting on the phone, they agreed that I was.
thanks again.