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How changes in income affect your tax credits

If your income in the current tax year is different from your income in the previous year, then the amount of tax credit you get may change.

If your income changes in any of the following ways, then you need to tell the Tax Credit Office about it. A tax year runs from 6 April one year to 5 April the next.

• if your income for the current tax year is expected to be less than last year, you may be entitled to extra tax credits
• if your income for the current tax year is expected to be more than £25,000 higher than income for the last year, you may get less tax credits
• there's no need for you to tell the Tax Credit Office if you expect your income for the current year to be no more than £25,000 higher than your income for the last year - it will make no difference to the amount of tax credit you will receive for the current year although the increased income will be taken into account in the following year

• Find out how to work out your income for your tax credits claim

When to tell the Tax Credit Office about a change in income

If your income goes down, it's a good idea to tell the Tax Credit Office as you may be entitled to more tax credits.

It's important to tell them straight away if your income goes up by more than £25,000, as your tax credits may go down and you could be building up an overpayment which you may have to pay back. Any decrease in your payments will be backdated to the date your income changed.

• Repaying overpaid tax credits

What happens if you don't report a change in income?

Tell the Tax Credit Office straight away if your income goes up by less than £25,000. If all your other circumstances stay the same then your tax credits will not change until the end of the tax year.

However, they need the new figure for your income to work out how much they should pay you for the following year.

If you do not tell the Tax Credit Office about the increase in your income until you renew your tax credits after the end of the year you could be building up an overpayment which you may have to pay back.

• Find out how 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

• Why you need to report changes to the Tax Credit Office

• Tax credits: how and when to report changes

• Protect your right to tax credits by claiming early

• Tax credits information if you're coming off benefits

• How your tax credits entitlement is worked out