Strike Action: On Strike (AG)

Before making any changes, follow the guidance in Establish If A Change Can Be Made

Then, if the change(s) can be made

• Check the information provided to see if you have all the following details for the strike action

Date strike action started

Claimant’s normal working pattern

Actual date the claimant was first involved in this strike action

How many jobs the claimant has

If more than one job, the hours worked in the job affected by strike action, and the total number of paid hours for the remaining job(s)

Note: The number of hours (for the remaining jobs) may have changed when the claimant went on strike. If this is the case, note the new hours

• If all the details have not been provided, go to step 2
   
• If all the details have been provided, and the claimant has been on strike for

• More than 10 consecutive days, go to step 3
   
• 10 consecutive days or less, contact the claimant and advise them to contact us again if strike action continues for more than 10 consecutive days. Follow the guidance in Contacting The Claimant. Go to step 17

Note: Where the claimant goes on strike for 10 days or less, they do not need to contact us again as no action will be taken

• Contact the claimant and obtain the required information

• If the claimant has been on strike for

• More than 10 consecutive days, go to step 3
   
• 10 consecutive days or less, contact the claimant and advise them to contact us again if strike action continues for more than 10 consecutive days. Follow the guidance Contacting The Claimant. Go to step 17

Note: Where the claimant goes on strike for 10 days or less, they do not need to contact us again as no action will be taken

• Are unable to contact the claimant

• Issue form TC664, selecting option 1, asking for all the required information
   
• Set anAction Dateof 14 days from today’s date
   
• Go to step 17

• Contact the claimant but have not obtained all the required information

• Ask the claimant to call the Helpline with all the missing information within 14 days of today’s date. The telephone number is

0845 300 3900

• Set an Action Date of 14 days from today’s date
   
• Go to step 17

• Enter the claimant’s NINO in the Key Entry Data screen
   
• Select the All checkbox
   
• Click on the [OK] button

• If the claim is pre-award, go to step 4
   
• If the claim is post award, rejected or ceased go to step 5

‘Details must be recorded on the Free Format screen. Do you wish to proceed?’

• Click on the [Yes] button in the message box. You will be taken to the Free Format screen
   
• In the Change Details field, enter the following information

• The reason for the change, for example, ‘Claimant on strike for more than 10 days’
   
• The date of the 11th non-working day
   
• The claimant’s normal working pattern
   
• Actual date the claimant was first involved in this strike action
   
• How many job(s), and if more than one, how many hours worked for the job affected by the strike
   
• Total number of paid hours for the remaining job(s) only

• Click on the [OK] button

Then

• Go to step 18

Note:The change will be stored on the Free Format screen. Once the claim has been awarded, this will create an entry on the ‘Unprocessed Change of Circs’ Work List

• Go to the Applicant Details screen

Note: If you are taken to the Select Application screen, select the appropriate claim then click on the [OK] button. You will be taken to the Applicant Details screen

• If the claim has been rejected or if it has ceased, do the claimant’s current circumstances mean that they now qualify for tax credits?

• If yes, go to step 16
   
• If no, go to step 17

Note: Use the SEES Tax Credits Eligibility Calculator to establish if the claimant would now qualify. To use the SEES calculator

Open Microsoft Excel

Select 'SEES' on the toolbar

Select 'Tax Credits Eligibility Calculator'

• If the claim is not rejected or ceased, go to step 6

Examples

Single claimant with children. Only one job, and on strike for more than ten consecutive days in that job. WTC will end but CTC will continue

Single claimant with no children. Only one job, and on strike for more than ten consecutive days in that job. Entitlement would end

Joint claim with children and both claimants work more than 16 hours. Only one of the claimants is on strike. WTC and CTC entitlement will continue

• Use Function AMEND APPLICATION

• Go to the Work Details screen for both claimants to establish if they are working 16 hours a week or more

Note: If the claimant(s) are under the age of 25, the working hours would have to be 30 or more to qualify if there are no eligible children

• Go to the Child Details screen to establish if there are any eligible children on the claim

And then

• Return to the Work Details screen
   
• Go to step 7

• The claimant has any other jobs in addition to the job affected by the strike, go to step 8

Otherwise

• Enter the date of the 11th non-working day in the Hours Worked End Date field
   
• Go to step 13

Example

Claimant informs us that they have been on strike for more than ten days. Start date of strike action was 2 January 2006. The date to be entered in the Hours Worked End Date field would be 12-01-2006

• Enter the number of paid jobs as appropriate in the Number Of Paid Jobs field

Note: Do not include the job affected by the strike

• Enter the new number of hours for the job(s) not affected by the strike in the Total Hours Worked Field
   
• Enter the start date of the hours for the job(s) not affected by the strike in the Hours Worked Start Date field. This will be the date of the day after the 11th day of the strike
   
• Click on the [OK] button

• If the message ‘3 month restriction applied to include from date. Check if correct’ appears, click on the [OK] button, then go to step 9

Otherwise

• Go to step 13

Note: You must update Household Notes with the following message

‘NC25 - Strike action. Claimant has more than 1 job. (enter strike action job details) ended DD/MM/YY. Hours for remaining job(s) started from DD/MM/YY’

Notes:

You must follow the guidance in How To Correctly Complete Application And Household Notes when you record the note

And also

Follow the guidance in Maintain Household Notes

• More than three months before today’s date, and the claimant failed to notify the change within three months, go to step 10
   
• More than three months before today’s date, and the claimant did notify the change within three months, but the change has not yet been applied, go to step 12

• Go to the Work Details screen for the appropriate claimant
   
• Consider if the new weekly paid hours will increase the maximum tax credits award (before any income reduction is applied)

Note: See the Information page for this guidance for the circumstances where the new weekly hours will increase the maximum tax credits award

• If the maximum tax credits award will

• Increase and you have been notified today of the strike action, go to step 13
   
• Increase and you were notified of the strike action before today, go to step 11
   
• Not increase, go to step 12

• Select ‘Hours Worked’ from the options available. You will be taken to the History screen
   
• Select the first entry
   
• Click on the [Change] button. You will be taken to the Change History screen
   
• Delete the existing entry in the Include From field
   
• Calculate the date three months prior to date the claimant notified the Tax Credit Office of the strike and make a note of the date
   
• Enter the calculated date in the Include From field
   
• Click on the [OK] button. The following message will be displayed ‘You must enter a CY income’
   
• Click on the [OK] button in the message box. You will be taken back to the Change History screen
   
• Click on the [OK] button. You will be taken to the Work Details screen
   
• Click on the [OK] button. You will be taken to the Amend Finish screen
   
• Go to step 13

• Select ‘Hours Worked’ from the options available. You will be taken to the History screen
   
• Select the first entry
   
• Click on the [Change] button. You will be taken to the Change History screen
   
• Delete the existing entry in the Include From field
   
• Enter the date the claimant returned from strike action in the Include From field
   
• Click on the [OK] button. The following message will be displayed ‘You must enter a CY income’
   
• Click on the [OK] button in the message box. You will be taken back to the History screen
   
• Click on the [OK] button. You will be taken to the Work Details screen
   
• Click on the [OK] button. You will be taken to the Amend Finish screen
   
• Go to step 13

• Enter the date the notification of the change was received in the Received Date field
   
• Select the source of the change, for example ‘Paper’ or ‘Telephone’, from the Source drop down menu
   
• Select ‘Change of Circumstance’ from the Reason drop down menu
   
• Click on the [OK] button. The computer will accept the change of circumstances and will apply the change at the effective date

Note: The changes you have made in this function will not be applied until you complete the Amend Finish screen and click on the [OK] button

• If the message ‘S18 Refinalisation Rules – Potential inappropriate refinalisation for CCYY–CCYY. If you have the authority to refinalise under S19, S20 or S21 of the Tax Credit Act 2002 or due to an appeal decision. Press OK to process the change or Cancel’ displays

• The changes you are making will re-finalise the claim, follow the guidance in Establish If A Change Can Be Made before making any changes

If you can make the change

• Click on the [OK] button on the message

Then

• If entitlement to WTC no longer exists, go to step 14
   

• If entitlement to WTC continues during the strike period, go to step 15

• If the message ‘S18 Refinalisation Rules – Actual Income for CCYY-CCYY is required. This change will not be accepted’ displays

• You will not be able to make the change because the PY actual income is required, follow the guidance in Establish If A Change Can Be Made before making any changes

If you can make the change

• Click on the [OK] button on the message

Then

• If entitlement to WTC no longer exists, go to step 14
   

• If entitlement to WTC continues during the strike period, go to step 15

• If the message ‘S18 Refinalisation Rules – You do not have the authority to refinalise CCYY-CCYY. This change will not be accepted. Please refer to the appropriate team’ displays

• The changes you are making will refinalise the claim
   
• Click on the [Cancel] button. You will be taken to the Amend Application Details screen
   
• Click on the [Cancel] button
   
• When the message ‘All changes to the application will be lost for this session, do you wish to proceed?’ displays, click on the [Yes] button
   
• Pass the case to a Level 2 User or your manager. For more information on Level 1 and Level 2 users, see Level 1 and Level 2 User Roles
   
• Take no further action

• If none of the above messages display, then

• If entitlement to WTC no longer exists, go to step 14
   

• If entitlement to WTC continues during the strike period, go to step 15

Note:When the claimant’s entitlement to WTC ends, their childcare costs will also end. Where the Childcare element is in payment, an end date must be entered to stop childcare costs being paid automatically once the claimant’s hours increase to over 16 hours a week. Follow the guidance inChildcare Changes And Assessing Childcare

Where the claimant’s entitlement to WTC no longer exists, they will continue to receive WTC for 4 weeks starting from the day after entitlement ended

• Complete the