In this section:
If you've been sent an Annual Declaration, renew your tax credits claim as quickly as possible. The sooner you renew, the sooner the Tax Credit Office can work out your payments for the coming tax year. Find out when you need to renew and what to do if you've only been sent an Annual Review form.
On this page:
You won’t be able to renew until you have received your renewals
pack and you know what forms you've been sent.
You should get your pack between April and 30 June.
If you don't get your pack by 15 July, contact the Tax Credit
Helpline. They will send you the forms you need.
You can't get a renewal pack online.
Renewing your tax credits - the basics
Contact details for the Tax Credit Helpline
You should provide the information for in the Annual Declaration as quickly as possible, and definitely no later than 31 July. Your renewal pack will tell you if you have a different deadline.
The earlier you renew, the sooner the Tax Credit Office can make sure:
A tax year runs from 6 April one year to 5 April the next.
If you delay renewing, you could be paid too much tax credits (an 'overpayment') that you have to pay back. This could build up the longer you leave it before renewing.
Contact details for the Tax Credit Helpline and Tax Credit Office
You should still renew even if you can't provide details of actual income for the last tax year. You can do this by providing an estimate of your income. This means you will then have to provide details of your actual income, usually by 31 January. Check Step C of your Annual Review notice to see if you've been given a different deadline.
If you have only been sent an Annual Review notice, you don't need to renew. Your claim will be renewed automatically. But you need to tell the Tax Credit Helpline straight away (and no later than 31 July ) if:
Your renewal pack will tell you if you need to contact the Helpline by a different deadline.
Tax credits: changes you need to report and when
Contact details for the Tax Credit Helpline
If you've been sent an Annual Declaration and the Tax Credit Office doesn't hear from you by 31 July (or the deadline on your renewal pack) they will:
You then have a further 30 days to provide the information asked for. If you don't provide the information within 30 days, you will usually have to make a new tax credits claim.
The Tax Credit Office will ask you to pay back any overpayments from the last tax year - and any payments made to you since 6 April.
If you've been only been sent an Annual Review notice and you didn’t report a change or any incorrect information on your notice by the deadline, contact the Tax Credit Helpline straightaway. This can help to prevent an overpayment building up.
Contact details for the Tax Credit Helpline and Tax Credit Office
Why your tax credits claim has to be renewed
Getting ready to renew your tax credits
Get help with your tax credits renewal pack
