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Forum Home  →  Discussion  →  Income support, JSA and tax credits  →  Thread

attempting to make a new claim for WTC under the SDP gateway ... and getting nowhere!

JimT
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WRO - Dunedin Canmore Housing Association, Edinburgh

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I’ve just tried to make a new claim for WTC with a claimant who is covered by the SDP gateway [the severe disability premium is in their HB applicable amount] and who has started working. We phoned the intermediary line to make the WTC claim only to be told:

- a specialist team deals with such claims
- this team has a backlog
- if the team decides the SDP gateway applies the claimant will get a phone call (from a withheld no.) in “around 4 weeks time”
- only two attempts will be made to call the claimant

I pointed out the claimant is likely to be working and unable to answer the phone when these two calls are made. In this particular case the claimant has to leave their bag and mobile phone in a locker when they are in their workplace.

There’s no end of problems caused by this response from HMRC. its the first TC claim I’ve tried under the gateway so I was wondering how others are getting on with it?

Pete at CAB
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Welfare Benefits Adviser’ for Citizens Advice Cornwall

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Does anyone know if Tax Credits accept that the date of claim is the date that the cl notified of an intent to claim.

The LITG website indicates that the date of claim may only be when a claim is fully made and says that backdating is limited to 31 days so if HMRC don’t call back before 31 days then the cl may lose out?

https://www.litrg.org.uk/tax-guides/tax-credits-and-benefits/tax-credits/can-i-backdate-my-claim-tax-credits

LITRG
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Low Incomes Tax Reform Group

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Pete - the info on our website is what we were given by HMRC. The process that Jim outlines is certainly not the process as we understood it. I can raise an issue with HMRC to see if I can find out more because clearly there are issues here about date of claim. We have already raised concerns about tele-claims and what happens if HMRC just say no to the person trying to claim/block a claim.

I’ll post an update if I find out anything

Victoria

JimT
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WRO - Dunedin Canmore Housing Association, Edinburgh

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Hi Victoria,

it would be great if you could make enquiries. my concerns are:

- claimant is getting sdp via HB applicable amount. will HMRC be able to verify this?
- it sounded to me that if HMRC couldn’t verify the gateway conditions were met then they might not even bother trying to phone the claimant at all!
- even if HMRC do try and phone to follow up, this particular claimant stands a 50/50 chance of missing the call as they work 16 hours a week during which time their phone is left in a locker!
- Pete - it didn’t sound at all like my phone call was treated as being a claim or even notice of a claim. i asked if it was to be such but the person I spoke to did not know.
- a 4 week wait for a response is too long
- there is a real possibility there will not be a refusal decision to challenge

What i’m hoping is that there is some way i can submit the claim in writing or even over the phone but at a time convenient to the claimant not at the whim of HMRC!!

thanks for your help .. jim

[ Edited: 5 Dec 2019 at 05:02 pm by JimT ]
alang
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Paisley South HA

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I’d suggest not using the intermediary line. Don’t know if it goes through to a different team, but I did a new WTC claim 3 weeks ago. Called normal number, spoke to someone, was ready for a fight but explained circs and they passed me right through to the “specialist team” the claim was taken over the phone, they gave me an address at the end to send a copy of HB award notice showing SDP (which is fair enough).

Claimant received payment within 2 weeks.

Honestly, it seemed far easier than I thought and far easier than what you experienced. Might just have been lucky and got someone half decent.

JimT
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WRO - Dunedin Canmore Housing Association, Edinburgh

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UPDATE - HMRC phoned the claimant but lo and behold she was at work and missed the call.

Thankfully, the person calling left a message telling her to call the normal tax credit number and ask to be put through to ‘Merry Hill offices’. She did this and her claim was taken over the phone but she was asked to send in evidence from her local authority that the severe disability premium is included in her HB applicable amount.

As per Alangs advice if there is a next time I’ll use the normal number rather than the intermediary line.

LITRG
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Low Incomes Tax Reform Group

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Thanks for the update - we have raised the issue with HMRC just to check on the process.

Victoria