Working Tax Credits: should I renew or make a fresh claim?

[san_d]

Background: last fiscal year 2015-6 I claimed working tax credits for 5 months, ending in February 2016.

 

Since then a mix of JSA, volunteering and part time work.

 

This week I started full time work and I was thinking of starting a fresh claim. However I've just received the tax credit renewal pack for this current year, plus the annual review for last year.

 

I'm not really sure if I should make a fresh claim or use the online tool to renew my tax credits.

 

On the gov.UK page:

https://online.hmrc.gov.uk/shortforms/form/TCCF

Use this form to order a tax credits claim form if you're new to tax credits

 

makes me think a fresh claim only applies to those who have never applied for WTC.

 

Can anybody clarify this point to me?

 

Thanks

[kirstyo]

make a fresh claim. But I am not sure if you need to still fill in something in the renewal pack too because that finalises last years award as well as sorting out the next years. I would call them and ask. Any break in employment you need to put in a new claim. i found this out the hard way when there was one day (yes literally one day) between my partner stopping work and me starting work, tax credits people told me to just change circumstances over the phone which i did. Turns out I should have been told to put in a new claim because of the break in employment, three months before i got another payment and still fighting for the backdate they owe me (since oct)

[san_d]

Thanks kirstyo. This is all very confusing.

 

It also turns out that last year I included income from income based JSA as income, while now I've discovered it should be disregarded.

 

At the end I'll have to give them a ring.

[kirstyo]

Its really confusing, they messed me about royally and ended up ending my claim leaving me with no payments for three or four months while I went through the whole claim process again because it took them three attempts to send out a new claim pack after they finally admitted their mistake and told me I would need to reclaim and should have been told that originally. They ended up owing me somewhere in the region of 700 quid then only gave me a little under 200 because they only backdate for one month despite me being told to put a cover letter in and it would be no problem to get the backdate as its their fault. they never actually told me of their decision so I assumed it was still being looked at until the start of the year when I was told that the decision had been made and I would need to appeal, of course I couldnt appeal because more than 31 days had passed since the decision that I wasn't told about! Long story short - a few more attempts at sending out another form (how hard is it to post something really?) and the deadline for their decision on my appeal is tuesday.

 

I would absolutely call them, most of the people there are actually really good at sorting out stuff over the phone although there is the odd one thats not like the guy I spoke to the other day. Income based JSA or ESA dont count, only contribution based I have just learned this because my partner just started claiming contribution based ESA so we are reclaiming now again even though our first one still isnt sorted yet! It can take ages to get through to them though, in my experience call either first thing in the morning or after lunch time and it tends not to be too bad.

[san_d]

The thing with ringing them is:

1) you're put on hold for 45 minutes. 2) you speak to 10 different advisors and you get 10 different answers. Back in the day you could go the tax office an sort your stuff in 10 minutes!

[kirstyo]

I have to say that honestly most people I have spoken to have been reasonably helpful its just that the odd one who isn't helpful can really manage to mess things up for you! Hold times are awful at this time of year because its renewal time but the twice I had to call them last week I got through reasonably quickly. I hate having to call them, but honestly recently it hasn't been too bad