Child Tax Credit Saga

We have had months of hell trying to get our child tax credit, that everyone with children is entitled (I'm not clear on the status requirements for those entitled, I will look into it at some point soon). We applied early spring, March, because the credit was to start in April. A month or so later, I recieved a confirmation the application was received. (Ah, let me backtrack a second, it is a requirement for couples to apply as a couple, no exceptions. As it also requires you to fill in your NIN, I thougt this might be a problem as I didn't have one, and phoned to check, they said to fill in and leave that blank. ) Right, so after receiving the confirmation, we hear nothing, for 2 months. Hubby sees on the news that everyone else is getting their tax credits now. I phone, they said they were processing it, and that it was about to be awarded. This is like June, and they also said that I should call back if I hadn't heard anything in 3 weeks. 4 weeks later, I get a letter saying that I have been denied the tax credit because I don't have a NIN, so I'll be sent an appointment for NIN application soon for our local Job Centre. There's an award. I had just made an appointment to apply for a NIN a few before anyway, as I was to start working, and that was a few weeks away yet. The understanding is that the tax credit due would accrue from the time they received our application. I phoned because I didn't know how this denial would affect that, they told me then that we would have to reapply and we wouldn't get the back credit. Hundreds of pounds lost??!! Hubby flipped, and phoned them again, this person told him that information was wrong, and we would not lose the back credit.

Then it's a case of waiting for the appointment I had. Of course when the letter for my arranged appointment came, I took that along with me. If I hadn't already had that appointment, it would have been 4 weeks later!) A week after my interrogation, err appointment, I received my NIN in a letter (not the card, that came today), and then shortly after that, a tax credit award letter. Happy ending? not yet.

On the tax credit application, they ask for the amount you earned from April of 2001 to April 2002. At that time my husband was working for a firm making good money, but last year resigned and started his own business for which he's now drawing a wage of about 1/4 of that. (Just enough to get by, using up savings to give the company a healthy start). So I have to phone them and give them the expected income for the current year. No problem, they'll send out another award notice in a week. That came yesterday. Happy ending? Think again! They added an extra zero to the income figure, making our award amount NIL!

Yesterday it was my turn to flip. Though I was calm on the phone. Hopefully it is corrected now, though I have my doubts. And they better cough up the entire accrued amount, which she wouldn't guarantee on the phone, or I'll be trotting over to their local office with my dependants in tow. We should not lose what's due just because some silly woman made a typo. I wouldn't get upset over a few quid, this is hundreds.

Lessons learned? Despite the fact that it asks for 2001-2002 income, I'd have put current income instead. I'd have made a NIN appointment upon applying. I'd have had proof of applying with my letter of confirmation of applying as it's a 6 week wait for the appointment, and that'd be enough to meet the requirements of applying for the NIN, working, tax credits, or benefits.

Just thought I'd post this as a warning or FYI to others.

OMG!  The Child TAX office!   ARRRRGGGHHH.

So here's OUR story.  The income that is asked for is from a time when my husband was working a good job and I was home with kids.  We wrote the income from that year but the rest of the details were from our current (not great paying) jobs.  So we get the letter saying we're getting the minimal amount.  We phone, explain, say circumstance have changed and they say no problem.  It will be recalculated.  We've already recieved a payment of the back payments from the first calculation.  I go to the building society-not there.  I phone up and am told that it's been withdrawn but the new re-calculated payment will be in next week.  Go next week, not there.  Phone up and ask if my details are correct.  Yes.  Phone up building society and ask-they track down payment and say details were wrong.  I phone tax credit office and say details are wrong.  OK.  Go the next week, nothing there.  Phone up and am told it's being recalculated and it'll be there next week.  Don't go the next week but go the week after.  Nothing there.  Phone again.  It's being recalculated.  I ask why and am told it's because I keep phoning.  I ask for the fourth time if details are correct-yes.  I don't phone, but it's still not in.  I phone again-woman tells me I have put the wrong amount for my annual salary-even though they calculated it themselves and hangs up on me.  Weeks go by-nothing.  Finally husband phones up and asks if details are correct-NO!  They have the wrong building society number.  It will have to be sorted out with building society phone on Monday.  He phones on Monday-they tell him they've no idea when it will be sorted out it's gone back to the head office.  He phones on Tuesday-they have no idea and no he can't have the number of the head office.  Giros start arriving on Wednesday.  Now they are writing asking for bank account details because they do not want to send out Giros-AS IF!  

And we are down over a hundred pounds that they say they sent out the first time but that we never recieved.  

Bloody heck, we're not the only ones then!   Well. I guess I'll also be looking for the back payment that we did get to disappear from our account.

Time to start writing some complaint letters! not that it would do any good. I'd go for local MPs (Member of Parlaiment), they have to listen.

I'm not going to complain.  I'm too nervous that they'd recalculate the stupid thing.

I have been procrastinating since April - but I planned to apply for our child tax credit online- its a bit embarrassing but I planned to do this for awhile- I guess having baby has kept us busy and well- its really embarrassing as we are losing ourselves money with not doing it.

of course now that I read these posts I am a bit worried that it won't all go  "smoothly"

I wanted to ask Leah,
Do they really require BOTH parents to have NI numbers?  If so- We'll have to start there first.

You can apply online at http://www.inlandrevenue.gov.uk/ and there's a calculator, to see how much you'd be getting as well. It's the "do I qualify" bit in the Child Tax Credit pages. I would also ignore the bit where it says income from 2001-2002, and put the current year income in.

By all means apply asap! and then go right to your local job centre and make an appointment for a NIN. Tell them you've applied for the tax credit, they'll make you an appointment. By the time your appointment rolls around, you'll have a confirmation of your tax credit application in the post. That's what I would do.

Oh wait, you'll have to request an application instead of online form I think, but check to be sure it doesn't allow you to omit your own NIN, I think it might have required it.

We saw the form and decided to no-bid it. It wouldn't have made much difference because the only qualifier was turning 18 in a couple months at that time. Did we lose anything? I'm thinking NO!

And now I understand pensioners are having to go through the same process for their bennies.

It's a conspiracy I tell you! Government workers are banding together for intentional incompetence for their own job security!

I read an article in Fridays Sun, there was a pensioner who had applied for a new benefit to top up her income, she was awarded 3p a week. She'll get a giro for 36p every 3 months. She said she'll buy a chocolate bar with it. She is currently getting £103 per week, I don't know how that compares to what one gets with Social Security in the States, but £450 a month isn't going to get you very far, so plan for your retirement peeps. :-/

Guess that's offtopic a bit, but there ya go.

thank you Leah- I just did an online application and I am now  going to hold my breathe til my bank account swells up with money!!

Well, the saga continues in our house.  We recieved two payments on Monday. Hmmmmm.  Then today, we got a letter.  Your child tax payments have been suspended.  You should have received notice of this, if you did not, you will.  WHAT!?!  Try not to freak out.  Phone the help line and guess what.  There is no record of any suspension.  We did recieve an award.  Did we receive a letter about an award?  No.  Oh, well must have been a mistake.  Your payments have not been suspended.  Well, I for one will believe it when I see it.  

Geez Mindy, unbelieveable.

Ours was sorted out as of last Friday. Back credit paid and all. They didn't remove what they'd already given us. You'll get there, hang in there. :-/  I would phone, explain you've been trying to get this sorted out for months, and they keep making a mess of it, ask to speak to someone who can sort it out, because it's gone beyond ridiculous. Or maybe make a visit to your local Inland Revenue with all of the correspondence you've had from them, maybe someone there will help.

i can't believe how much trouble you've had! I hate to tell you that we got it almost instantly without any fuss at all.  Roll of the dice I suppose  

She was lucky (The Sun Lady), they're talking about taking Ivy's widow's benefit away (now that she's 60) and awarding her a pension of...£36 a week.

Every time I think I'm ready to live here for the rest of my life....

And listening to y'all's story...man I'm glad I don't have children.  

i can't believe how much trouble you've had! I hate to tell you that we got it almost instantly without any fuss at all.  Roll of the dice I suppose  

How did you qualify for child tax credit when you are American and your wife is not a British citizen?    

oh dear what have we got in store?! i tried filling in the online application last week but was unable to complete the process because Stu doesn't have a NIN. So I rang up and asked what to do and they said I would have to fill in a paper form and leave his NIN bit blank. They said when I send the form back to them they will send Stu an appointment for his NIN thing.  I asked them how long this could take, they said "a while" looks like it could be forever going by everyone else's experiences. I'll keep you posted!