Tax credits!!! Ensure you report a change in circumstances AS SOON AS THEY HAPPEN!! I didn't...and <sob>

[PussinJimmyChoos]

Wasn't sure where to put this but as we all fill in the twunting child tax credit forms, I thought parenting would be a good place!

I stupidly thought that when you fill the tax credit form in, as it is a retrospective look at income for the tax year just finished (ie April 07 - April 08), that the fact that DS went to nursery etc would just be covered when filled in this years tax credit form under the would you like to report a change in circumstances, if so ring us to let us know and be subjected to questioning that guantanamo bay staff would be proud of

Oh! How wrong was I!! Apparently, because we didn't tell them then that DS started nursery last May, how long for, which nursery, bra and hip measurement of nursery nurses etc, we only get three days backdated.....

So, learn from my bitter lesson dear mumsnetters and report everthing!! Even a change in bowel movements!!

Riven!! You are back!!! You get my text about visiting some time?

DH rang the twats child tax credit office back and he said first person told us we can only back date three days (yes, thats right, three days!) and they said no, its three months so we should get something which is better than nothing!

What I find so strange is why they can't put most of the data together themselves - i.e the tax office knows how much we earn cos of our P60s...they know I'm in receipt of DLA (profoundly deaf) and that we get child benefit for DS, that DH gets child care vouchers as the payment for that comes direct from the nursery, which is Ofsted registered...my thinking is put it all together and the amount of information you would require from people would be a lot less and more accurate!

direct from his wages to the nursery I mean

I never like to just give dates as feel rude! Are you still going to the farm meet up cos that's this week isn't it?

My wages stopped in Febuary 08 and Smp kicked in, until 4 weeks ago when my 4 weeks of annual leave started.

I can't see it being a problem if they know exactly how much I've earnt for the year.

To be honest I didn't even think of contacting them, we don't get a lot anyway and once dd is 1 it will be hardly anything

Hugh - the p60 form details any SMP you have and so the total pay figure that you give them for the year will factor it all in, so I don't think it would be a problem. However, I would still ring and report it all just to be on the safe side and so you don't end up like me and having to rant on mnet

We used to get £500 per year(wow), this year despite no change in income, they have just advised us that we'll get £23 per year!! Wtf?

Just to reiterate what Expats has said, make a note of EVERYTHING, EVERYTIME you talk to them. Better still, put it in writing (haven't yet resorted to recorded delivery but may well soon....)
I know of far too many people who have told them things and thought that was that, only to find at the end of the year that the Tax Credits people say they were never informed of so and so change and you therefore owe them £?????

Ah right Pussin you didn't state Childcare Element in your OP.

Their arse doesn't know what their elbow is doing, each time you ring you get a different answer, if they don't even know what the correct answer is then I really don't know how they expect us to know

Re Maternity -whoever was talking about that - there is some clause I have read about somwhere and now cannot find - typical! - that when you calculate previous years income for Tax Credits you don't have to declare £100 pw of Maternity Allowance - might be worth checking into that - if I find the link I saw it on ( don't think it was here) I'll come back and post it.

Fluffle - Maternity allowance doesn't count for tax credit purposes - but Maternity pay does.

you're entitled to deduct £100 for every week of the tax year you've received SMP for, eg received SMP for 12 weeks, deduct £1200 from your total taxable income

SMP rather than MA - knew it was something like that ;)

Riven - have checked the meet up thread as had forgotten the exact date (duh!) so, Friday it is, will talk about a meet at your house then. Got the garden being done next Mon (rain permitting!!). When its all done you can come over with the carer and DD -I'm sure she'll love being in the garden with DS!

So effing complicated, we recived 3 letters, all in duplicate, one for me one for dh, even though we are both at the same address (how much tax is wasted on that?) all very slightly different, I have no idea why we needed 6 letters in the space of a week, but dd starts nursery next month, why is it they are so good at working out what we owe them, but so inept at working out what they owe us?