Sorry to rant, but I had a frustrating experience today as a result of a woman on the tax credits helpline giving me completely the wrong information.
I received my tax credits award for 2015-2106 in the post yesterday. The award seemed way too high and there were working tax credits in the award which didn't seem right as any calculators I've done have said we aren't entitled to working tax credits, only child tax credits. It was a high amount too, but then I noticed that it said my husband was on the sheet as working 0 hours this year which was wrong. I phoned them immediately to correct them with his current wage of £15,500 and the woman on the phone said she had updated the system.
I asked her (knowing she wouldn't be able to tell me the recalculation but hoping I'd get an idea) about my award and she told me that as it was all based on last year it wouldn't affect what my letter says my award is. I knew this wasn't right as working tax credits would of course be affected, but she was adamant there would be no changes and even talked me through it all. I came off the phone thinking maybe, just maybe, it was right and feeling like a huge weight had been lifted as the woman had seemed so sure and even talked me through it making it sound right. I believed it all afternoon thinking because she said it (and because I don't have a flipping clue how they work it all out anyway!) that that's what I'd be getting, I even told my husband who was a bit relieved too.
A few hours later I went online and did the calculators recording both my husband working and not working just to see what they said, and realised I was right . I phoned them again and spoke to someone who told me I was right and he doesn't know what the woman earlier had been talking about.
So back to square one, waiting on my recalculation and feeling a bit deflated that I was given this feeling of relief yesterday which wasn't correct. I think someone needs retrained!!
I received my tax credits award for 2015-2106 in the post yesterday. The award seemed way too high and there were working tax credits in the award which didn't seem right as any calculators I've done have said we aren't entitled to working tax credits, only child tax credits. It was a high amount too, but then I noticed that it said my husband was on the sheet as working 0 hours this year which was wrong. I phoned them immediately to correct them with his current wage of £15,500 and the woman on the phone said she had updated the system.
I asked her (knowing she wouldn't be able to tell me the recalculation but hoping I'd get an idea) about my award and she told me that as it was all based on last year it wouldn't affect what my letter says my award is. I knew this wasn't right as working tax credits would of course be affected, but she was adamant there would be no changes and even talked me through it all. I came off the phone thinking maybe, just maybe, it was right and feeling like a huge weight had been lifted as the woman had seemed so sure and even talked me through it making it sound right. I believed it all afternoon thinking because she said it (and because I don't have a flipping clue how they work it all out anyway!) that that's what I'd be getting, I even told my husband who was a bit relieved too.
A few hours later I went online and did the calculators recording both my husband working and not working just to see what they said, and realised I was right . I phoned them again and spoke to someone who told me I was right and he doesn't know what the woman earlier had been talking about.
So back to square one, waiting on my recalculation and feeling a bit deflated that I was given this feeling of relief yesterday which wasn't correct. I think someone needs retrained!!
