I thought you might find this useful. You know how people who claim tax credits can be entitled upto a 3 month backdate automatically as long as they have met the qualifying conditions during this period, well I have been having major problems getting this for my clients. > >I tried putting it on the form itself at the back, adding an attachment to the form including contracts from employers confirming start dates. No joy. > >Decisions were being made but in all these cases no backdates were given. So I then tried the advice line. On some occasions I was told they would take the information over phone and update the computer system there and then. Then you wouldn't hear anything. On other occasions you were advised to put it in writing. You still wouldn't hear anything. > >Finally, I started appealing (in desperation). > >This has resulted in some rather interesting information coming from the appeals officers on backdating. > >They sent a letter to a client saying that they were still looking for guidance on this issue and would be in touch in due course. > >I therefore rang the appeals officer who said there were 2 problems with backdating. > >1 the start date on the computer system cannot currently be changed to put in a prior date. However, the advisor would not actually know this. The computer allows you change the date in the field. The advisors have been told that overnight the central system is updated. However, it doesn't update. They are trying to change this on the computer system, but it has been going on for a while. > >2 they need guidance over whether tax credit can be paid when someone is being paid the 2 week run on of Income Support. They have not been told how to deal with this and are still awaiting guidance. I assume here she was just referring to lone parents. > >She said the cases involving backdating that they were dealing currently dealing with date back to last July! However, she had been told that if they can't resolve this soon (no time scale obviously) then consideration was being given to doing manual payments. Finally, she said in every case like this you should appeal. She said although in theory a letter or phone call should be enough in practice it is appeals that are taken notice of and everything else sort of gets pushed to one side. > >Of course, if you already know all of this, I apologise, but thought it might be useful.
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