Tax Credits & Maternity Pay

[Mrs_Jeeps]

I have recently given birth-31/3/2009 and wondered how my tax credits application will be processed?

 

I know normally it is based on earnings from the year before but I am only entitled to tax credits from 31/3/2009 as its my first child and if they base my payment on last years earnings then last years earnings are significantly lower than my statutory maternity pay.

 

On calling the tax credits they advised they would need to calculate my entitled on las years earnings then I would need to ring them up and say I was on maternity pay for them to make an amended calculation? Seems a bit pointless really?

 

Also does anyone know roughly, how long tax credits and child benefit claims take to process?

 

Many Thanks

[Hunte78]

My advice to you would be to firstly make a claim for Child Benefit, as Tax Credits will try to match up your childs details with the Child Benefits systems, if there is no record of your child then your claim will probably be delayed.

 

They will calculate your claim on previous years earnings and what you've been told is right, you will then need to call back and give an estimate for the current tax year. What you need to take into account is the maternity pay though, for every week you are on maternity leave you deduct the first £100 of the pay (e.g if you went on maternity leave 10 weeks before th end of the tax year and were getting £117 per week, you would do £117 x 10 weeks = £1170 then take off £1000). A bit complicated i know but calculating the closest estimate possible is the best thing to do, it reduces the risk of an over payment.

 

Lastly, tax credits say it can take 3 weeks for a claim to be processed, this is only if there is no problems with any of the details, so technically there is no timescale. If you attach a covering letter to your claim form asking for your claim to be back dated to the date your baby was born then they will do this.

 

Hope this helps.

[Mrs_Jeeps]

I started my mat leave on March 17th which means I can deduct three weeks in the last tax year then?

 

Also for this tax year, I will only be receiving smp nothing more.SMP is now £123.06 x 6 weeks is £4430.16, from that deduct 36 weeks x £100 which is £3600. That leaves my income of £830.16? Is that right?

 

Many Thanks for all your help

[Hunte78]

No, if you started maternity on 17/03/09 you would deduct 2 weeks from this tax year, so £200.

 

So then in new Tax Year you would do £123.06 x 37 weeks = £4553.22. £100 x 37 weeks = £3700.

£4553.22 - £3700 = £853.22 should be total income.

 

15/12/09 is when your 39 weeks maternity would be up, if you return to work on this date then you will also need to add to the £853.22 what you think you will earn in employment up to 05/04/2010. If you don't return to work on this date or before you will need to inform Tax Credits as they would then no longer class you as employed.

 

Hope this helps.

[Mrs_Jeeps]

No, if you started maternity on 17/03/09 you would deduct 2 weeks from this tax year, so £200.

 

So then in new Tax Year you would do £123.06 x 37 weeks = £4553.22. £100 x 37 weeks = £3700.

£4553.22 - £3700 = £853.22 should be total income.

 

15/12/09 is when your 39 weeks maternity would be up, if you return to work on this date then you will also need to add to the £853.22 what you think you will earn in employment up to 05/04/2010. If you don't return to work on this date or before you will need to inform Tax Credits as they would then no longer class you as employed.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Thank you so much for taking the time to work that out for me.

 

Cheers

[andysmeth]

Sorry to barge in. I have phoned tax credits a number of times now and i'm getting different answers from them, so really confused . Hope you can help.

 

I understand what you are saying above but tax credits are saying a little different to this for me..

 

They are working it out as still basing it on my full salary, not the amount it will drop while being on maternity. example.

 

Due to go on SMP April 2010 for 25 weeks.

Normal basic salary 23000

23000 - 2500 = 20500

 

So I will be getting tax credits for that year worked out on a annual salary of 20500.

 

Now I thought it would work out like this as this will be the salary I will get from April 2010

25 weeks of SMP = £576.50 (this is based on SMP figure for 2009, £123.06).

27 weeks of normal pay = £442.30 per week x 27 = 11942

 

so total salary for 2010 minus the £100 each week ignored for SMP is = £12518.50

 

If anyone can clear this up for me I would be so grateful,

 

thank you

andrea

[Mrs_Jeeps]

No it will definatley go on the estimated amount you will earn for the period you are on mat leave.

 

You will have to give the year previous figures from your p60 but it'll go on the estimated amount because its significantly lower.