In 'The World that is Tax Credits'.............can anybody please give me a definition of a 'Lead out Period'!

Im currently trying to get info on how my client's proposed overpayment has accrued and ive been advised its to do with the 'lead out period'!

Thanks!!!!

I think this phrase refers to the period before automated direct payments from the computer to the client's account begin or the period before WTC payments via employer start. During either of these periods a claimant is usually paid by manually issued payments, which the computer then does not realise have been made, so they are duplicated and the duplication is not discovered until after end of year reconciliation.

This is only my guess and I stand to be corrected by those more knowledgeable than I.

I've never heard of a lead out period, but logically what the last post describes is a lead in period. But then again, whoever heard of tax credits being logical!

Okay, if what I described before was a lead in period then how about the time between a claimant notifying the TCO of a change in circumstances and a stop notice, being issued to the employer, meaning employer still continues to pay at the the former rate. Could that be the lead out period??

This seems much more likely but TCO should really say what they mean by it!

Just spoke to an adviser on the TCO welfare rights helpline - yes the lead out period is the time between notification of a hcange of circs to the helpline and the change in payments via employer. I agree, this should have been explained properly by helpline staff in the first place.