New Chance To Claim Benefits

If your income has dropped in the current tax year, perhaps
because your business has made a loss, or your company can't
afford to pay you a salary, you could be eligible to claim tax
credits or other state benefits. The Tax Office is actively
encouraging people to check whether they would be eligible to
claim working or child tax credits, and has included an
interactive questionnaire on its website to help you decide.

The questionnaire does not cover complex claims such as where a
member of the family has a severe disability, but it will cover
most situations. Remember a claim for tax credits is based on
your family's total income, so you need details of your partner's
or spouse's income as well as your own.

If you are aged 60 or over, you may be eligible to claim pension
credit from the Department of Work and Pensions (not the Tax
Office). You don't have to be retired to claim pension credit,
just aged 60 or more. Like tax credits your claim is based on
your income as a couple, not just your income alone. If you have
savings of over £10,000 these are also taken into account. This
savings threshold was £6,000 until 2 November 2009, which
excluded a lot of people from qualifying for this benefit.

If you find you are eligible for pension credit or tax credits,
you should check whether you could receive help to pay council
tax or housing benefit. Claims for both of these benefits now
ignore any income received by the family as child benefit.