New tax credit claims - no more online facility to request claim form, phone only

A support worker has drawn to our attention that you can no longer request a new TC claim form online at gov.uk (new claims for clients who have 3+ kids)..

The automated phone line tells you to go online and do the calculator after which you can reqeust a claim form online, then “you can hang up now” ... but this option no longer appears on https://www.gov.uk/claim-tax-credits or on the calculator, which says “You’ll need to contact HM Revenue & Customs. It can take up to 5 weeks to process a new claim.”

If you call the TCO general number, you need to wait after that message, hear a little bit of silence and then the automated phone line appears to go through to an automated TC phone calculator… which I did not do all the way to the end. Bit of long-winded process! Am guessing it’s becasue the 3+ kids gateway ends so soon.

I have contacted HMRC via the consultation group for tax credits to ask what exactly the changes are and for any further detail. Will post back if I get a response.

Victoria

Just in case this is of use - I helped someone make a phone claim for Tax Credits on 18/1 - I called the intermediaries line and they were happy to help me/my client

HMRC have replied to me saying they have indeed withdrawn the paper claim facility. They are now only accepting claims primarily via telephone. We have published a blog update here https://revenuebenefits.org.uk/blog/tax-credit-claim-forms and are currently updating the main website pages. We have asked HMRC a number of follow-up questions and will update as soon as we hear back.

Victoria

Someone that I am advising has tried to claim CTC by phone this afternoon - she is over PC age.  Having got through the rather confusing recorded/automated information and questions she spoke to an adviser who told her that it is now too late to claim and that she would have to look at other benefits.  I had schooled her beforehand and she was apparently quite assertive but the TC adviser wouldn’t budge - she asked to speak to a supervisor and was told that there was no one who could help. 

Having ended the call she got a call back a few minutes later from the same person who apologised saying that she now realised she had given her the wrong advice and took the claim over the phone.

So they appear to take claims over the phone but it is a bit hit and miss and the training seems a little lacking - some credit to the TC adviser who seems to have checked whether she has given the correct information and phoned back making good her error.

Tony