In this section:
- When your tax credits claim can be backdated
- Protect your right to tax credits by claiming early
Protect your right to tax credits by claiming early
Sometimes it's worth making a tax credits claim even if you think that you're not going to be paid anything. You might want to do this if your income is too high at the moment, but it might go down later in the year.
On this page:
- Why make a claim if you won't get any tax credits?
- When to claim
- How to claim
- Contact the Tax Credit Office
- More useful links
Why make a claim if you won't get any tax credits?
When you make a claim for tax credits, any payments you're entitled to can usually only be backdated by up to three months. However, by claiming early, that is before you think you might be able to get tax credits, any future payments will be protected against only being backdated by three months.
If you think your income will go down
If you're expecting your income to go down, you should make a tax credits claim at the start of the year just in case this happens. Any tax credit payments will then be backdated to the date you made your claim. You might want to do this if for example, you're self-employed or your work is seasonal, or you might be made redundant.
Example 1
Maria lives with her partner. They both work, and she knows that their joint income is too high for them to get tax credits now. But she also knows that her firm will be closing down and she will be made redundant later in the year, so their income is likely to go down.
They make a claim for tax credits on 6 April and receive an award notice telling them that they will not be paid any tax credits because their income is too high. On 10 October when Maria’s firm closes down, she contacts the Tax Credit Helpline and tells them that her income has gone down. She gives an estimate of what her joint income with her partner will be for the year. Their lower income means they are entitled to tax credits from 6 April.
When to claim
Don't delay in making your tax credits claim - it's best to claim as soon as possible so that you get all the money you're entitled to.
Tax credits are paid for a full tax year. A tax year runs from 6 April one year to 5 April the next. To protect your right to tax credits, the Tax Credit Office must receive your claim within three months of the start of the tax year, so no later than 5 July.
If you make a claim for tax credits on 1 July, but you don't qualify until 1 November - when your income goes down, they will backdate your payments to 6 April.
However if you wait and make the same claim on 6 September your payments will only be backdated by three months to 6 June. So you'll miss out on two month's payments.
How to claim
To claim tax credits you have to fill in a claim form. You can order a tax credits claim pack from the Tax Credit Helpline on Tel 0845 300 3900 or Textphone 0845 300 3909.
The helpline is open from 8.00 am to 8.00 pm every day except Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year's Day.
You can fill the form in yourself and send it back by post. If you need any help completing the form you can call the Tax Credit Helpline who will be happy to provide further advice.
If you claim other benefits, such as Income Support, Employment and Support Allowance or Jobseeker's Allowance, your Jobcentre Plus - or in Northern Ireland, a Social Security office - will help you with your tax credits claim form.
Contact the Tax Credit Office
If you need more help you can call the Tax Credits 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
When your tax credits claim can be backdated
