No Child tax credits for special needs twins age 8

Hi Rcarter 

Are HMRC saying that you are still part of a couple and therefore taking your ex-partner's income into account and saying you no longer qualify for child tax credits because your income is too high? 

If this is the case then you can challenge the decision however there are strict time-limits for doing this. You have 30 days from the date on the award notice to request a mandatory reconsideration which is when you are asking HMRC to look again at their decision. The time limit can be extended but you will need to have a good reason and not knowing or ignorance is sadly not one of them. The form you need to complete to request this is available here but given that you have said that you have not received any child tax credits since July 2015 it is over a year since a decision was made and therefore it is unlikely that a mandatory reconsideration request would be accepted so far outside of the 30 day time limit.

Another option is to make a new claim to tax credits as a single person and if it is refused for the same reason then request a mandatory reconsideration within 30 days of receiving the decision.

Finally the issue of whether you are a couple for benefit purposes is one that is often not as clear cut as HMRC or The DWP like to make out, particularly when people who were previously a couple continue living in the same house but maintain separate households. A number of factors need to be considered, are you or were you married? Are you divorced? A sexual relationship is not definitive by itself and other factors include things such as how the bills are paid, bank accounts, financial arrangements, meals taken, clothes washed , how you are viewed by other people, how you spend your time, this list is not exhaustive.

I hope that helps and please post back here if you have any more questions.

Best wishes

Paul