Thousands who wrongly lost tax credits may be able to get them back: How to complain
HMRC has redeployed staff to help those who may have had tax credits taken away mistakenly
THOUSANDS of people who wrongly had their tax credits stopped maybe able to get back-dated payments.
Concentrix, which which was employed by the government to cut tax credit fraud and overpayment, has been told that it will not have its contract renewed by HMRC after a series of blunders which have left thousands without access to vital cash.
The government is now deploying 150 staff to help those who may be wrongly been cut off.
Single mum Nicola McKenzie is one of thousands of people complaining that they’ve been wrongly punished by Concentrix.
The 19-year-old from West Yorkshire received a letter from the company saying her tax credits would be cancelled.
"Basically they were accusing me of being married to a 74-year-old bloke that used to live here way before I did, saying that it's a normal thing for my kind of age," she told the BBC Victoria Derbyshire programme yesterday.
The Treasury has revealed 120 cases since last October where Concentrix did not “fully” meet performance criteria set out in its contract, according to the BBC.
However the actual number may be far higher. The Facebook campaign group Concentrix Mums, which has 7,300 members, says hundreds more people have been affected by errors.
We have asked HMRC to clarify the number of cases which may have been stopped in error.
Jon Thompson, HMRC’s chief executive, said: “We want to reassure customers who have had their tax credits stopped that we will prioritise their cases, and make sure that they are processed as quickly as possible.
“While it’s right that we ensure that tax credits customers only receive the money to which they’re entitled, it is vital that those customers have a high level of service."
What you can do if you've had tax credits wrongly withdrawn?
HMRC says that it will prioritise your case and process it as quickly as possible.
If you can provide information to show that you were entitled to tax credits then you will have your money backdated for any period where payments were stopped.
We asked HMRC for guidance on how to challenge a decision, it told us that if you have an open case regarding tax credits then you’ll need to speak to Concentrix who will continue dealing with them until their contract ends in May next year.
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To do this you can either call the number on the decision letter or write to the department that issued your letter and say that you want “mandatory reconsideration”.
You must explain why you think the decision is wrong and have evidence to support this.
This will usually take one month to process, however, the there is no guarantee.
If you’re still unhappy then you can appeal. If you live in England, Scotland or Wales then you can contact the Social Security and Child Support Tribunal and in Northern Ireland it’s the Appeals Service Northern Ireland.
Do you think that your tax credits have been stopped incorrectly? Tell us: [email protected]