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Check the information on your claim form is correct

The Tax Credit Office use the details you give them on your claim form to work out your tax credit payments.

You should carefully check that all the details on the form are accurate, complete and up to date paying particular attention to any dates and details of your income.

• Find out how to avoid common mistakes on your tax credits claim form

Check your tax credits award notice

When the Tax Credit Office first pay you, or make a change to your existing tax credit payments, they will send you an award notice.

This tells you how much money you will receive based on the information you gave them.

It is important that you check your award notice when you get one. Use the checklist provided to tell them if anything is wrong, missing or incomplete, or if there's anything you don't understand.

You can do this by calling the Tax Credit Helpline on 0845 300 3900 or textphone 0845 300 3909. You should do this within a month of getting it.

The Tax Credit Office aim to send you a new award notice within 30 days of you telling them about a change. If you haven't received one, or if you're claiming tax credits for the first time, and your payments have started, but you haven't received an award notice, let them know as soon as possible.

• Checking your tax credits award notice

Check the payments going into your bank account

It is also important to check the amount of money going into your bank account. Your award notice 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 on 0845 300 3900 or textphone 0845 300 3909.

Tell the Tax Credit Office about any changes in circumstance

When you tell the Tax Credit Office about a change in circumstance, they recalculate your tax credit payments for the whole year or from the date of your claim if you claimed part way through the year.

It's your responsibility to tell them about a change that affects your tax credits, for example if you separate from your partner.

If you don't, the Tax Credit Office won't know about it until you confirm your actual circumstances when you renew your tax credits after the end of the year. At this point they check whether the money you have received matches your income and circumstances.

It may turn out that you have not received all the money you should (an underpayment). Or if you have received too much money (an overpayment), your current tax credits payments - if you still qualify, are usually reduced to repay the money.

Any change in circumstance that could mean your tax credit payments go up, such as having a baby, should be reported to the Tax Credit Office. It's better to do it straight away as any extra payments due can only be backdated by up to three months.

Any change in circumstances that could mean your tax credit payments go down, such as a child leaving full time education, must be reported to the Tax Credit Office within one month or you could be paid too much money (an overpayment) and may also be charged a penalty of up to £300.

The checklist that came with your award notice will tell you which changes to report within one month of them happening. It's also a good idea to tell the Tax Credit Office about any other changes straight away to avoid an overpayment.

You can tell them about any changes in circumstance by calling the Tax Credit Helpline on 0845 300 3900 or textphone 0845 300 3909.

• How changes affect your tax credits

• Tax credits: how and when to report changes

Renew your tax credits on time

The renewals process is a review carried out after the end of each tax year to make sure you have been paid the right amount of tax credits for the previous tax year and that the Tax Credit Office are paying you the right amount for the current tax year. A tax year runs from 6 April one year to 5 April the next.

The Tax Credit Office will send you a renewal pack between April and June. It's important that you give them accurate, complete and up to date information when you renew.

The deadline for all replies to the annual review is shown on your Annual Review form (usually 31 July). The sooner you check your details and tell the Tax Credit Office of any changes, the sooner they can make sure you get the money you're entitled to.

If you don't renew your tax credits, you may only receive payments for a limited period after the end of the tax year and you'll have to repay any overpaid tax credits.

• Why and how you need to renew your tax credits claim

Contact the Tax Credit Office

If you need more help you can call the Tax Credit Helpline on 0845 300 3900, or textphone 0845 300 3909 if you are deaf or have a hearing or speech impairment (open from 8.00 am to 8.00 pm every day except Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year's Day).

If you're calling from overseas you can also contact the Tax Credit Office on +44 289 053 8192.

• The cost of contacting 08 and 03 telephone numbers

More useful links

• Tax credits - rights and responsibilities

• You haven't reported a change - what happens to your tax credits?

• Download the HMRC leaflet 'What happens if we have paid you too much tax credit?' (PDF, 106K) Opens new window