In this section:
- Why your tax credits claim has to be renewed
- Deadlines for renewing your tax credits claim
- Getting ready to renew your tax credits
- How to work out income or working hours for your tax credits claim
- Help with the tax credits renewal pack
Why and how you need to renew your tax credits claim
You need to renew your tax credits in good time every year. This helps to make sure you’ve been paid the right money during the last tax year - and that you get the right money for the new tax year. If you don’t renew, your payments may stop and you may be overpaid. You can renew by phone or by sending back your renewal form.
On this page:
- Why is it important to renew your tax credits claim?
- How to renew
- Who gets a renewal pack?
- What happens if you don't renew?
- What happens after you have renewed?
- Why you need to report changes
- Contact the Tax Credit Office
- More useful links
Why is it important to renew your tax credits claim?
You need to renew so that:
- the Tax Credit Office has the right information about you
- you can make sure your income is still within the limits for getting tax credits
- the Tax Credit Office knows if anything has changed
- you continue to get all the money you're entitled to for the new tax year (from 6 April to 5 April the following year)
If you don't renew your tax credits:
- your payments may stop
- you'll have to repay any overpayment from the previous tax year, as well as any money paid to you since the start of the new tax year (6 April)
- you may lose out on any extra tax credits you’re entitled to
How to renew
If you’ve been sent an Annual Declaration form
You can renew by either:
- calling the Tax Credit Helpline on Tel 0845 300 3900
- completing the Annual Declaration form and returning it in the envelope provided
Make sure you’ve got all the information together that you need before you renew.
Getting ready to renew your tax credits
If you’ve only got an Annual Review notice
Check the information provided on the Annual Review notice. If any of the following applies, call the Tax Credit Helpline on Tel 0845 300 3900:
- you have had any changes in your circumstances
- your income is above the limits shown in the notice
- there are mistakes or missing details in the notice
Make sure you’ve got all the information together that you need before you call.
If none of these apply, you don’t need to do anything - your tax
credits will be automatically renewed.
Getting ready to renew your tax credits
Who gets a renewal pack?
Everyone who gets tax credits gets a renewal pack. This applies even if you:
- claimed tax credits but didn't get them because your income is too high (a nil award)
- only got tax credits for part of the year
If you have made more than one tax credits claim during the year, you will be sent a separate renewal pack for each claim.
Help with the tax credits renewal pack
What happens if you don't renew?
If you’ve been sent an Annual Declaration and don't renew:
- your payments will stop
- you will have to pay back any overpayment from the previous year
- you will have to pay back any money paid to you since the start of the new tax year (6 April)
The deadline for all replies is shown on your Annual Review form - usually 31 July. Don't wait for the deadline. The sooner you check your details and report any changes, the sooner you can get the money you're entitled to.
Check the deadlines for renewing your tax credits claim
What happens after you have renewed?
If you only received an Annual Review notice
If you reported a change of circumstances or missing information after you checked your Annual Review notice, you'll get an amended award notice.
Check the amended award notice and tell the Tax Credit Office if anything is wrong, missing or incomplete. You need to do this within one month.
If you’ve completed an Annual Declaration
The Tax Credit Office will:
- check that you received the right amount of tax credit payments in the last tax tear (ended 5 April)
- send you an award notice with a final decision for the year
- check your tax credits for the current year (from 6 April)
- send you another award notice showing what your payments will be for the current year
Your award notices will show any overpayments or underpayments.
Check the amended award notice and tell the Tax Credit Office if anything is wrong, missing or incomplete. You need to do this within one month.
Why you need to report changes
You should report any changes in your personal circumstances straight away. You could lose money if you don't as tax credits can only be backdated by up to three months. For example if you have a baby on 12 June, but do not let the Tax Credit Office know until 12 October, they will only backdate your payments until 12 July.
Tax credits: changes you need to report and when
Contact the Tax Credit Office
If you need more help you can call the Tax Credit Helpline, which is open from 8.00 am to 8.00 pm every day except Christmas Day, Boxing Day, and New Year's Day. The numbers you can ring are:
- Tel 0845 300 3900
- Textphone 0845 300 3909 - if you are deaf or have a hearing or speech impairment
If you’re calling from overseas you can also contact the Tax Credit
Office on Tel + 44 289 053 8192.
More useful links
Checking
your tax credits award notice
How
to avoid being paid too much or not enough tax credits
Tax credits - rights and responsibilities
