Don't get your hopes up too much. When I first applied for tax credit  had to put in the previous years P60 figures even though I was then on mat leave so when it came to me re-applying I put in my P60 figures which took into account the fact that I'd earned hardly anything and also deducted my £100 a week and they gave me a lousy £57 rebate!! Still better my way than it going back to them!

Can't remember how maternity pay shows on your P60 but i do remember that u tax credits don't take into account the £100 ish smp, but any extras e.g. if you're state employed is counted

The first poster said she didnt need to declare so much of her money as was to be ignored Tax credit helpline is sh!t they tell you allsorts and what i was saying is that if you just deduct the £100 a week before letting them know your earnings is that they would class it as fraud they make there own rules as they go

Not having a go x

you declare it and then £100 per week is "ignored" because of the maternity leave.  Not sure how it's done on paper as I did my renewal by phone but you need to let them know any change of circumstances and as earnings are reduced when on maternity leave that's why it has changed.  So technically you ARE declaring it which means you are not committing fraud

I thought that you had to declare al monies received that show on your P60 and then they calculate the figurs from that. Not declaring monies earned would be fraud wouldnt it?

They'll take mat leave into account for next year's declartion too so according to them I'll only earn £500 this financial year as I am part time.  It's odd the way it is calculated but while it works in our favour I wont be complaining!

That was v vi nteresting. I wonder how far back they do rebates? I would think they would recalculate the rates as they were then..(they use your income figure from prev year, to calculate how much tax credits you get following year) and they will pay back whatever is incorrect. So if the tax you get is 20% of earnings, it would be 20% of the figure (this is just a guess as i do not have not worked in IR).

http://www.ivillage.co.uk/pregnancyandbaby/parent/financepreg/articles/0,,34_157580,00.html

What do you mean "dont include first £100??"thats weird. I realise it was four years ago but nothing like that was mentioned to me when i was off with my daughter.....

Lst year when i was maternity leave i didnt realise that you dont include the first £100 in every week.

Anyway,after ringing them today they are going to give me a rebate. How do they work it out? I didnt need to declare £3900 of it according to the person i spoke to! Not sure how much roughly il be due back?