TCM0080300 - Claims - work lists (VFs - miscellaneous): Verification Failures - inform DWP or Department for Communities (DfC) of award details where there is IS, JSA or ESA interest

Some Working Tax Credit (WTC) or Child Tax Credit (CTC) claims will have been allocated a Temporary Tax Credit Reference Number. Some of these cases may subsequently fall onto the Verification Failures work list.

Note: A Temporary Tax Credit Reference Number is made up of two letter Os and then six numbers and a space at the end. For example, ‘OO123456 ’.

If the customer or their partner has an interest in Income Support (IS), Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) or Employment and Support Allowance (ESA), the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) or Department for Communities (DfC) needs to be made aware of the customer’s tax credits interest.

In these cases, the Specialist Trace Unit (STU) will have made DWP or DfC aware of tax credits interest. However, award information will still need to be provided once the claim is at ‘Award Issued’ status.

This information must be passed to DWP or DfC on cases that have an IS, JSA or ESA interest only.

Where you are working on the Verification Failures work list and come across a case that has a Temporary Tax Credit Reference Number and Income Support (IS), Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) or Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) interest, consider steps 1 to 5.

Step 1

Use Function CAPTURE APPLICATION and go to the Summary Information screen

  • check the Application Notes field to check if the following message has been recorded
    ‘IS / JSA / ESA* INTEREST NOTIFY DWP/DfC OF AWD DET’ (*delete as appropriate)
    • If the message is present, the contact name and phone number for the DWP or DfC officer will also be present.
    • If the message isn’t present, contact Specialist Trace Unit for the DWP or DfC officer’s contact details.

Step 2

Complete your action and process the claim as normal, then

  • make a note of the claim and set up a clerical BF for one day.

Step 3

On expiry of the BF use Function VIEW APPLICATION and check the status of the claim.

  • If the status is ‘Award Issued’, go to Step 4.
  • If the status is ‘Awaiting Award’, go to Step 2.

Step 4

Contact the DWP or DfC officer and give them the details of the award
then

  • send confirmation of the award details by fax to the officer you have contacted
    Note: You must still inform DWP or DfC where the case is a nil award.
    your fax should be in the following format
    • use an HMRC letterhead (fax cover sheet)
    • identity details of the DWP or DfC contact
    • your details (name and contact numbers)
    • the relevant customer names, NINOs and/or Temporary Tax Credit Reference Numbers
    • the tax credits award start date
    • the tax credits award amount - CTC (including childcare element of WTC) and/or WTC.

Step 5

Use Function MAINTAIN HOUSEHOLD NOTES

  • Enter the following message
    ‘TCMZ IS / JSA / ESA* INTEREST DWP / DfC NOTIFIED OF AWD DET’ (*delete as appropriate).
    Note: You must follow the guidance in TCM0152060 when you record the note and also follow the guidance in TCM0152160.