In this section:
Checking your tax credits award notice
If you qualify for tax credits, the Tax Credit Office will send you an award notice which tells you how much you will get based on the information you gave on your claim form. You need to check the award notice carefully and tell the Tax Credit Office within one month, if anything is wrong, missing or incomplete.
What is an award notice?
The award notice is in three parts:
- section 1 is about you
- section 2 tells you how the Tax Credit Office worked out your tax credits
- section 3 is what the Tax Credit Office will pay you
It tells you:
- the type or types of tax credits you will get
- how much you will get
- what you told the Tax Credit Office, and how they used this to work out what to pay you
- what changes you need to tell the Tax Credit Office about, and when you need to tell them
- how and when the Tax Credit Office will pay your tax credits
You will get a checklist with your award notice that tells you what information you have to check and how to tell the Tax Credit Office about any changes.
Download a copy of the checklist (PDF 149K)
You should keep the award notice in a safe place.
What to do when you get any award notice
It is the Tax Credit Office's responsibility to put the right information on your award notice based on information you give them.
It is important that you:
- check your award notice when you get one
- tell the Tax Credit Office if anything is wrong, missing or incomplete, or if there's anything you don't understand - use the checklist that came with it to help you with this
If there’s anything you don’t understand, or anything wrong, missing or incomplete, call the Tax Credit Helpline. You should do this within one month of getting your award notice.
Don’t wait before telling the Tax Credit Office if anything is wrong. You may not be getting all the money you are entitled to, or you could be building up an overpayment that you may have to pay back.
If you tell the Tax Credit Office straight away that there is a mistake on your award notice, they will put it right and send you a new one. In this case you may not have to pay back any overpayment.
Contact the Tax Credit Helpline
If you realise you made a mistake on your claim form
If when you check your award notice, you realise you made a mistake on your tax credits claim form, you will need to ring the Tax Credit Helpline straightaway. The new information you give might mean you get more tax credits - or less.
Contact the Tax Credit Helpline
More about putting mistakes right after you've sent in your tax credits claim
When will you receive an award notice?
Your first award notice
The Tax Credit Office sends you an award notice following your claim for tax credits.
Amended award notice
When you report a change of circumstances to the Tax Credit Office, or when there are any other changes, you’ll get an amended tax credits award notice.
The Tax Credit Office aims to send you an amended award notice within 30 days of you telling them about a change of circumstances.
If you don't receive an amended award notice within 30 days, let the Tax Credit Office know as soon as possible.
Contact the Tax Credit Helpline
Final award notice
After the end of the year you need to renew your tax credits claim. This helps the Tax Credit Office to check that the payments they've made to you are correct based on your actual circumstances.
You’ll get an award notice, with a final decision for the year that ended on 5 April, when you have renewed your claim. Although the decision is final, you still need to check the award notice carefully and tell them if anything is missing, wrong or incomplete.
You'll also be sent a separate award notice, telling you what your payments will be for the current tax year.
You may not need to renew your tax credits claim, for example because nothing has changed in your personal situation. If this applies to you, you’ll get your final decision for the year that ended on 5 April with your renewal pack. You won’t get any further award notices - unless your circumstances change.
Why and how you need to renew your tax credits claim
Top
Checking your tax credits payments
It is also important to check the amount of money going into your bank account. Part 3 of your award notice - Payment dates and amounts - will show your first payment, plus the amount to be paid every week or every four weeks. If a payment doesn't match the amount on your award notice call the Tax Credit Helpline as soon as possible.
Contact the Tax Credit Helpline
More useful links
How your tax credits entitlement is worked out
How and when to report tax credit changes
Tax credits - rights and responsibilities
You've been overpaid tax credits - how did this happen?
