of rainbow trout

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.

double bass. Suddenly

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!!