Changes – General (Info)
Before making any changes you
must first follow the guidance in
Establish If A Change Can Made to
check whether you can make the changes
There are two types of changes that can be applied. These
are ‘
Change of Circumstances’
or ‘
Corrections’
You must always refer to the appropriate guidance to confirm
which type to use
The majority of changes will be change of circumstances and
must be applied using Function AMEND APPLICATION selecting the
‘Change of Circumstances’ option
Note: On a pre award claim any change of circumstance will
be stored on the Free Format screen until the claim has been
awarded. This will create an entry on the ‘Unprocessed Change
of Circumstances’ Work List
If one of the following reasons applies the change must be
applied using Function AMEND APPLICATION selecting the
‘Correction’ option
- Information has been entered incorrectly during capture due to
transposition errors
- Change of claimant(s) address
- Changes to the Special Needs signal. If this happens, follow
the guidance in
Welsh
Flag Is Present On The NTC Computer or
Visual
Impairment
- Amendments to the employer’s personal details. For
example, the company or employers name changes. This does not
include changes of employer
- The claimant’s or child’s name changes
If one of the above reasons apply and the claim is pre award you
will be prompted to make the correction in Function CAPTURE
APPLICATION
You may be notified of these changes in a number of ways.
Follow the guidance in
Notifying A Change
For information on when you can make a change where the
effective date is in the future, follow the guidance in
Future Dated Change Of Circumstances
If the Unprocessed CoC signal is set, you must check the
‘Unprocessed Changes Of Circumstances’ Work List to see
if there are any entries with details of other changes. Follow the
guidance in
Unprocessed Change Of
Circs Work List
If the claimant has informed you of several changes that
have occurred at different times, you must apply the changes in
sequence, starting with the oldest change first. Do not complete
the Amend Finish screen until all of the changes have been applied,
unless told differently within specific guidance
Restrictions (limiting the backdating)
Some changes may result in an increase in tax credits,
whilst others may result in a decrease and result in an
overpayment.
Except for certain circumstances, see section 05300 of the
Tax Credits Technical Manual for examples, any increase can only be
backdated for up to 3 months. Any reduction in tax credits will be
backdated to the date when the circumstances changed providing that
the claim has not already been finalised. To establish if a change
can be made you
must always follow the guidance
Establish If A Change Can Be Made.
The computer will accept a date entered in the Start Date
field for a change up to 3 months from the processing date without
applying any restrictions. You must refer to the appropriate
guidance relating to that change, to check if any restrictions
apply.
If backdating is restricted, a period of history
must be created on the computer. You must ensure that you
follow the appropriate guidance relating to that change
Notes:
- In the case of a two person claim you must check that the
change applies to both claimants
- You must not apply changes to previously mismatched claims
