Tax credits renewal deadline looming
Universal Credit (UC) is replacing the old tax credits system slowly but surely. However, tax credits are still applicable to existing claimants. Why is July a crucial month for recipients?
Where an individual or couple is in receipt of Working Tax Credits and/or Child Tax Credits, they will be unaffected by the UC rollout until they:
- choose to make a claim for UC
- need to claim another benefit that UC has replaced, such as housing benefit; or
- have a change of circumstances that ends the tax credits claim and they need to make a new claim for support.
Until then, the old system of claiming and renewing needs to be followed. In some cases, the renewal will be automatic and the claimant will simply receive a renewal notification. But some claimants need to complete a renewal pack, which is sent out in June each year. In a 1 July press release HMRC stated that just under 500,000 forms were outstanding, and emphasised that these must be completed by 31 July in order to continue receiving payments.
Any changes in circumstances must be reported. However, the press release confirmed that employed claimants do not need to report any temporary falls in their working hours as a result of coronavirus. They will be treated as if they are working their normal hours for up to eight weeks after the furlough scheme closes. Grant payments received under the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme do need to be reported though.
Related Topics
-
Selling spare items to your company
You’re short of cash but if you use the traditional methods to take more money out of your company you’ll pay higher rate taxes. Is there another way to extract profits without paying income tax or NI?
-
No such thing as a (tax) free lunch?
You run a small consultancy company and treat your staff to lunch in the office once a week. Your bookkeeper says it’s a taxable benefit in kind because staff lunches are only exempt if they are provided in a workplace canteen. Is this correct?
-
Judge criticises use of fabricated AI-generated cases in HMRC appeal
A tax tribunal judge has criticised the use of apparently fabricated case references generated by artificial intelligence in an appeal against HMRC. The incident highlights growing concerns over the use of AI tools in legal and tax proceedings. What happened?