childrens tax credit refund

[peacock]

I discovered on 26th Jan that I had until 31st Jan to claim back children's tax credit from 2001/2 and 2002/3. It was purely by chance that I saw this information when looking for tax credits info. Since then I have had incredible difficulty contacting HMRC and when I did manage to contact them they informed me that I wouldn't be able to claim in time for the deadline of 31st Jan, as I now need to write to another tax office with all my details and request that they set up a record for me, as apparently they have no record of me! This is despite the fact that I've been working and paying tax for years as well as claiming working tax credits.
They are quick enough to reclaim overpaid taxes, but when it comes to trying to claim what I am rightfully owed they are doing their best to be obstructive and have basically denied me the chance of claiming this money back.
According to other websites the reclaimable tax could be worth between £750 and £1500 (which is worth about 1/4 of my salary). When I first discovered I might be able to claim this money back I was really quite elated, as it would have made a huge difference to my two children and I at the moment.
Can I do anything about this, or force them to accept a late request due to their incompetent record-keeping?
Help!!

[rory32]

I have moved your thread to a more appropriate forum where hopefully you will receive relevant help and advice.

[Kerrie78]

I too only discovered this on Friday, and I immediately phoned my local office to be told to send in my p60s for 2001/02 and put it in writing.
I rushed to find this info and sent it special delivery on 25th and they received it on Jan 28th, so tomorrow I will phone them and try and chase any info they can give me.
I too am hoping greatly to reclaim this, but it hasn't helped finding the info so late!
I also read that there may be circumstances where they can accept late requests, maybe you could push for this if you sent the info off say tomorrow??
It's got to be worth a shot.
Good luck

[peacock]

Thanks kerrie78, I sent off a letter today requesting a tax record to be set up for me plus a request for the arrears of children's tax credit. I sent it by special delivery, so it should be there by 31st. At least they'll have my details, so I'll just have to wait and see if I get my arrears.

[princessbongtastic]

Hello, could I just ask please when you mention in your threads 'your local office' is that your tax office? I've just discovered this & I'm frantically trying to write a letter & ring round!
Thanks.....

[steven4064]

princess

Yes, it will be your local tax office

[Dons2008]

First off, Dont Panic! HMRC will accept claims for period 2001-02 until 05 April 2008; and claims for 2002-03 until 05 April 2009 - I am claiming this myself and sweated on it but found out when I called up that the 31st Jan deadline has been misconstrued as that is the Self Assessment deadline...
This is because you have a 6 year timeframe to reclaim taxes and therefore you dont need to rush round like a headless chicken getting your letters done and in by 31st Jan.

Good luck with calling up to chase the progress, I have called and called them and been told "we have a backlog of mail and are currently working post received as of 4th December - expect your letter to come to our attention around Feb 18th"

Anyway here is a copy of the letter I sent, to give you an idea of what to put...

NINO: ********
DOB: ******

HMRC
Leics and Northants area
Saxon House
1 Causeway Lane
Leicestershire
LE1 4AA

Dear sirs,

Further to my telephone conversation with ********* of today’s date, as requested I am writing to request that you would please confirm that I did not receive the Children’s Tax Credit for the period 2001-2002 (INSERT PERIOD APPLICABLE); for my (Son/Daughter) (INSERT CHILD'S NAME) DOB: ********

During this period I was (single/married), (Child's name) was under 16 years old and resided with me at (INSERT YOUR ADDRESS).

This is the information I was requested to provide and I hope this is sufficient, however please do not hesitate to contact me if you need further info.

Yours sincerely

Your name.


Hope this helps

Dons2008 x

[Kerrie78]

Hi again.
I have telephoned the West Midlands office this morning,as I saw from the RM website that my letter has been received.
For some reason, the postal address that I was told to send mine to was in Gloucester, but the lady took my NI number and she confirmed that they had received it in Gloucester (they're systems must all be linked), but she said currently they have a backlog of claims, and while she couldn't tell me what Gloucesters particular backlog was, she said hers in the West Mids was currently 3 weeks.
I asked about the deadline being tomorrow, and she said that as long as the letter had been accepted into their system then they will deal with your claim. But the letter must be with them and logged before the deadline.
She said that looking at my particular details it seems that I hadn't been awarded the relief already so she gave me great reason to believe that I will be entitled to something back. She couldn't give me a figure though.

I had 2 kids born within that period, one in 1999 and one in 2000 so I'll have to wait and see.

So hopefully the other people on this thread will get the same information, and you should get your claims processed. I would advise anyone just to phone up and ask them to check that the letter has been logged.

[princessbongtastic]

Hello Kerrie, Dons & Steven, thank you for all of your replies, they're very helpful! I have sent letter to my local tax office & tax credits head office. The tax credits helpline chap actually asked me where I'd heard about any possible refund as they hadn't advertised it or informed any claimants of it! A good reason to state if they do try & enforce any deadline for applying?!
Thanks again...P..

[vinegarvera]

Oh good thought I missed out on that one.

[Dons2008]

Hi again people!

Looks like not a lot happening at the moment with your claims....

Just a quick one - I got form 11CTC Saturday Morning in the post, completed and returned it yesterday, now let's see how long it takes for an acknowledgement to be received and/or any money...

Will post updates

How is everybody else getting on with their claims then??

D x

[Kerrie78]

Hi Dons.
I was just about to check how everyone else was getting on because I have got nowhere yet!!

I sent my letter to my local office and they got it on Jan 25th. I have made numerous phone calls and it seems that it was sent to the Gloucester tax Office, but then it was again forwarded on to the South Yorkshire Office! But they didnt receive it until 26th February.
Now I have called the South Yorkshire office 3 times over the last 2 weeks, only to be told that "it is being processed, but I cannot give you a guarantee of when you will hear anything as we don't work to any particular timescale"

Super eh! I'm sure if they had been chasing me for any money I would have incurred numerous fines by now and probably have been hauled infront of the courts, but since it's the other way round they don't give a monkeys.
Over 2 months has passed, and I still havent even had an acknowledgement. I don't know if I am even entitled to the payment. I could get a letter back soon saying 'no sorry, you're not getting anything' then I will have had such a long wait for nothing.

Hope everyone else is doing better.

[Dons2008]

Hey

I was onto my local Tax Office yesterday - I sent the 11CTC form back to them 16th Feb - called up 4 weeks ago and told 'we are curently working post received 7th Feb - call back in a month' so yesterday I called them up and was told 'aahhh we dont know when your form will be processed as we have a 12 week backlog' and I think the call centre guy just expected me to swallow that and ring off.

No Sir! The red mist fell!!!!!

So I came back with "look, you're a government agency, I initially wrote to you on 10th January and have a royal mail POD for 11th January. You then wrote to me on 15th Feb with a form 11CTC which I needed to sign and return - which I have duly done. Then after calling up to check its been received I was told to call back in a month which is why I am on the phone now and you expect me to wait another 12 weeks to receive acknowledgement of receipt? Sorry but I will wait a maximum of 12 minutes while you put me on hold and go check exactly what date's post you are working on"

So I get the reply "Ummm I may not be able to do that" so I said "If you have a high volume of mail to open I have friends on time off from Uni who would gladly come over and help you on a temp basis for $7 per hour. To be fair, If I was self employed and I hadn't filed my tax return by Jan 31st you would have written to me on Feb 1st with the delightful news that you intend to fine me $100. When it comes to you lot paying back any moneys you seem to stall and to be frank, 10 weeks turnaround to process 1 letter and 1 form is just unacceptable. I would have thought that as a government agency you would have exceptionally high standards to work to and I can assure you that if it took me 10 weeks to deal with a letter from a client and process a form that just needed signing, my boss would have me out the door. Now, as I said I will wait a few minutes while you go check the dates of thepost that you are working through. I am not asking for the Holy Grail, nor the Crown Jewels, just a little bit of human assistance..."

So I went back onto hold. Then he came back and (by a miracle no less) told me that post received 'around 16th February 2008' was being opened and stamped 'Received'

So I told him if I receive no acknowledgement by 7 days then I would be BACK.

*exhale*

Keep your heels dug in Kerrie - I am coming up to a 12-week wait now - but believe me when I get this tied up I am going to make the Sh177ie5t complaint to them...

I know its annoying but keep ringing them and ringing them..

Good luck

Dons xxxx

[Kerrie78]

Thanks for that. I think I need to be a bit more firm on the phone aswell, but I'm having such hassle with all of these Government bodies at the moment that if I told you all of my problems you seriously wouldn't believe me. I am spending hours each week on the phone to all of these different people, and it doesnt come cheap when you are on hold for up to 20 mins at a time.
I have threads on the CTC forum and also the Incapacity thread, but our affairs are in such a mess because of the complete idiocy of these people, that my MP is dealing with my case.
To cut a massive story short, I have been surviving (we are a family of 5) on £80.95 IS per week while our Incapacity Benefit, Child Tax Credit, DLA and this Tax Relief is sorted out. This has been going on for 7 weeks now. We have no child Tax credit as they paid it to us too early!
It seems to be the norm, that all departments take around 16 weeks to get a simple letter opened and processed. And most of the time it isn't the answer you are looking for so you have to go through appeals, which then takes another 6 months!
Brilliant!!

ps - I don't suppose you know the answer to my Q?? I have got 2 children who I am claiming the relief for, one born in 1999, the other in 2000. Would I be entitled to 2 payments, or will it just be one do you think. I have asked on the phone but nobody seems to know.

[Dons2008]

Hi Kerrie

I have looked at your post - I do believe that the tax break was payable to parents regardless of how many children - the standard tax break we're talking about here is 5290 added to your tax code - I shall simplify it...

2002-2003 Tax Code Notice Dons2008

PERSONAL ALLOWANCE 4615
CHILDREN"S TAX CREDIT 5290

DEDUCTIONS children's tax credit rest'n 2880

TAX FREE AMOUNT FOR YEAR 7025 - tax code 702H

PREVIOUS TAX CODE 461L

Basically - the Children's Tax Credit code wasn't applied to my code for period 2001-2002 - Effectively I paid too much tax (see previous code above) and so the Tax Office have told me that they are working on 529.00 as a ball part figure for refund - it may be more (yay!) it may be less (boo!) - once they have had the signed 11CTC they can pull my record and work it out from thereon-in to arrive at an exact figure as the amount of tax I paid in that year could affect the amount.

(Remember I sent the 11CTC back 16 Feb)

I have seen your other threads Kerrie, and I must say you are doing a great job on the IS you have coming in - the fact that you have your MP on the case will hold some sway and you may end up getting these benefits back (backdated)

My mum had her MP fight her case when she lost her DLA (due to her being able to hold a cup of water at her medical *she suffers rheumatoid arthritis and fibromyalgia* and she got hers back eventually and backdated)

I am sure that you may be able to receive Tax Credits due to financial hardship - I will check the HMRC website and my personal tax credit notes and post up whatever I can find. I am sure you must be able to get *something*

Kerrie I am looking through saynoto0870.com as I know they have plenty of normal numbers for the tax offices - I will post these up for you so at least you do not have the bugbear of expensive call charges... (BTW when Tax Credits bodged my claim in 2004 I successfully reclaimed over 18.00 in call charges from holding on calls to them - so keep your itemised bills handy and highlight the calls as I am sure you may be able to claim these back!)

Be firm on the phone and don't back down - try and keep notes of all your calls and names if possible - I will have a dig around for anything I can find to help and will post on here....

Dons xxxx

[Dons2008]

OK Very quickly -

South Yorks. tax office - Dial 0191 501 6078 instead of 0845 366 7802 - assuming this is your office...

Tax Credits - Dial 0191 206 1385 instead of 0845 300 3900

HM Revenue & Customs: Tax credit questions

Try this link and see if it will work for you Kerrie - (my CAG page is all over to the right of my screen and my forum looks like a spider has fell in an inkpot after a night out on the lash!!)Good luck

Donsxxxx