Identifying Details That Need Correcting On The Computer (Info)

There is an Action Guide for this subject, click on ‘Next Page’ to access it

Use this guidance to identify if there is incorrect information on a claim following an amendment. For example, there is an incorrect Nil award or an element of entitlement is missing.

This may occur when

• You receive a complaint about an incorrect Nil award
   
• You receive a complaint about missing children or any other element of entitlement
   
• The claimant states they have told us about a change of circumstances at an earlier date

Note: Requesting a change of circumstances to be backdated is not the same as requesting a claim be backdated. For more information on backdating a claim, follow the guidance in Backdating Claims

• The claimant had previously requested that a change of circumstance is backdated and the award is still incorrect
   
• The claimant is concerned that they may have been overpaid and requests that details of their eligibility is checked
   
• You identify incorrect recorded history
   
• The case has been referred as incorrect information has been identified by our IT suppliers which require your intervention
   
• The award has been incorrectly terminated

Note: Where incorrectly terminated cases are reinstated, eligibility must be checked

A reply to the Annual Declaration has not been received by the 1st Specified Date (1SD)

Or

A reply to an enquiry about the Annual Declaration, for example, an Incomplete work item has not been received by the 1SD

And

The case is finalised on the information already held on the computer

Where incorrect Nil awards have been reported, these can occur for one of the following reasons

• An include from date has been incorrectly entered on the computer
   
• The claim has been terminated incorrectly
   
• The effective date has been moved to a date before the original claim effective date

Note: This list is not exclusive

This guidance will direct you to the appropriate guidance that will enable you to identify what corrective action is required

Where a claim has been identified as being incorrectly ended, you will need to be refer it to the Incorrectly Ended Claim Team on the M1 Referral form

Note: Where you are looking at award periods, you must be aware that provisional claims for the following tax year are set up before the start date of that tax year. For example, a provisional claim is set up for the period 06/04/06 – 05/04/07. If the claimant’s entitlement ends on 10/02/05, the provisional claim will not be valid. The earliest provisional claim set up will usually show an amount of entitlement for tax credits, then revert to Nil once the entitlement has ended

Note: If an Appeals marker is present on a claim you are attempting to correct, you must inform appeals of your intended action

(This text has been withheld because of exemptions in the Freedom of Information Act 2000)