6 April 2010 New WTC Rules

[britcanada]

My wife has a 2 year marriage visa. I am British.

http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/manuals/tctmanual/TCTM02113.htm

We received a letter this morning from the HMRC (0845 602 6958) informing us
that as of the 6 April 2010 we will lose the second adult component (£1892)
of our tax credit award at an unspecified date.

We have been given no warning of this and the reduction of this allowance will leave us in an un-expected position:

I phoned 0845 6026958 and the operative told me that these letters have been sent out without an exisiting protocol for assessing claims.

A few internet searches pulled up seemingly the only document pertaining to this, "a special instrument" policy which appears to have received no
ministerial or parliamentary oversight:

http://www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si2009/em/uks ... 887_en.pdf

Amendments to the Entitlement Regulations

7.1 In April 2009, the Working Tax Credit (Entitlement and Maximum
Rate) Regulations were amended to remove entitlement to the second adult
element of Working Tax Credit (“WTCâ€

[andy_p]

Apologies for dragging up an old post, but I believe this is still relevant.

Toward the end of last year, I also received a letter from the tax credits office saying that I would now be losing the 'second adult' element, which has meant our working tax credit payments have gone down dramatically.. in fact, by the end of this tax year, they we will owe the tax credits office over a thousand pound, which we have already started paying back.

It sounds amazing that they can suspend the tax credits from April 2010, but only inform us of this many months later, after they have already paid us our tax credits, and then expect us to pay back what we have been overpaid.

I am aware that many people on this forum are advised to make joint working tax credits claims, which is great.. but did these people realise that they would end up having to pay a load of money back afterwards?

[andy_p]

Hi,

can anyone comment on this..

does this now mean that any person who makes a joint claim for working tax credit with their partner who is in the UK on a spouse visa, is now not going to receive the 'second adult element'? in which case... they will not be receiving anymore more money than they would have been were they a single person.

thanks