Basically, our circumstances have changed since 06 April and we now fall into the bracket for receiving Working and Child Tax Credits and free prescriptions, glasses etc. However, because our claim fell between HMRC's dates of 06/05/13 and 31/7/13, the award has the term "provisional". I have contacted them and that's a term they use on the award letter, for claims and changes of circumstances that fall between those two dates. If a change occurs between 31/7/13 and 05/04/14, then the letter would be termed as an amended or amendment.
We are eligible to receive/claim a free bus pass for our DC because our income is less than £16k and we receive Working Tax Credits. Our award letter clearly states our income and the awards amounts. This can also be proven as correct by the fcat that my bank account shows those amounts deposited. However, our LEA won't accept the awards letter from HMRC because of their use of the term "provisional". Even though I have explained that it is a definite award (obviously subject to the post 31/7/13 "wash-up") they will not accept our claim, saying that it is not a real ie confirmed claim. I have offered to show them my bank account but they refuse to accept this.
The upshot of this, is that we have to wait until we receive our award letter from HMRC in about 6 weeks and then the LEA takes 6 weeks to process a claim. This takes us through to roughly the end of October and we can't afford the bus fares due to our very low income
The LEA have misunderstood the term provisional: I asked the head of department what she thought HMRC meant when they use the term "provisional" and she replied that it meant we must be self-employed, or that they were still processing the claim . They don't accept that this is what we have been assessed at.
The sad thing about this, is that if someone's financial circumstances mean they receive WTC/CTC but their claim falls after 31/7/13 their claim for fsm or free travel pass in all probability, will not be accepted because of HMRC's terminology and the LEA's lack of understanding of what it means; ie putting their own interpretation on it.
We're stuffed: all we can do it wait until we get the HMRC letter
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In receipt of Child & Tax Credits Yet LEA Won't Accept Claim
13 replies
TheKrakenAwakes · 03/08/2013 09:08
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