Excuses, Excuses

Don’t miss the tax credit deadline

With the deadline for renewing tax credits just over 2 weeks away, HMRC has published a list of excuses, some humorous, given by claimants for missing the 31st July cut off date.

They include:

• I didn’t need the money because I’d met a rich bloke, but he dumped me.
• My mum usually does this for me.
• The form was locked in the boot of my car, and then my car caught fire.
• My baby used the paperwork as a colouring book.
• My dog ate the form (not very original!).
• I got confused with the 31st January Self Assessment deadline.
• I booked the last two weeks of July for a holiday and forgot all about it.
• I’ve been in hospital but am feeling much better now.
• I was unable to get income details from my employers in time.
• I thought I’d already renewed.

Claimants have until the 31st July deadline to renew or their payments could end. Last year more than 650,000 people failed to renew on time. For the first time this year, individuals can renew online as well as being able to renew by post and telephone.

So far, 203,000 claimants have renewed online.