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You haven't got your renewal pack yet

You won’t be able to renew until you have received your renewal pack and you know what forms you've been sent.

You can expect your pack between 17 April and 30 June. The Tax Credit Office doesn’t send all the packs out at once, and yours may not arrive until the end of this period.

If you don't get your pack by 30 June, contact the Tax Credit Helpline. They will send you the forms you need.

You can't get a renewal pack online.

• Renewing your tax credits claim - the basics

• Contact details for the Tax Credit Helpline

If you've received an Annual Declaration form

You should provide the information asked for in the Annual Declaration (TC603D or TC603D2) as quickly as possible, and definitely no later than 31 July. Your renewal pack will tell you if you have a different deadline.

The earlier you renew, the sooner the Tax Credit Office can:

• check you were paid the correct amount during the last tax year
• make sure you are paid the correct amount for the coming tax year
  

A tax year runs from 6 April one year to 5 April the next.

If you delay renewing, you could be paid too much tax credits (an 'overpayment') that you have to pay back. This could build up the longer you leave it before renewing.

• Contact details for the Tax Credit Helpline and Tax Credit Office

Estimated income

You should still renew even if you can't provide details of your actual income for the last tax year. You can do this by providing an estimate of your income. This means you will then have to provide details of your actual income, usually by 31 January. Check Step C of your Annual Review notice to see if you've been given a different deadline.

If you've received an Annual Review notice only

If you have only been sent an Annual Review notice (TC603R), you don't need to renew. Your claim will be renewed automatically. But you need to tell the Tax Credit Helpline straight away (and no later than 31 July) if:

• you have had any changes in circumstances
• your income is different to what's shown in the notice
• there are mistakes or details missing from the notice

Your renewal pack will tell you if you need to contact the helpline by a different deadline.

• Tax credits: changes you need to report and when

• Contact details for the Tax Credit Helpline

If you miss the deadline for renewing or reporting a change of circumstances

If you've been sent an Annual Declaration form (TC603D or TC603D2)

You need to reply by 31 July, or the deadline shown in your renewal pack.

If you don't, the Tax Credit Office will:

• stop your tax credits payments
• send you a statement showing you whether you've been paid too much, or not enough, in tax credits

You then have a further 30 days to provide the information asked for in the renewal pack. If you don't provide the information within 30 days, you will usually have to make a new tax credits claim.

The Tax Credit Office will ask you to pay back any overpayments from the last tax year - and any payments made to you since 6 April.

If you've only been sent an Annual Review notice (TC603R)

If you didn’t report a change or any incorrect information on your notice by the deadline, contact the Tax Credit Helpline straightaway. This can help to prevent an overpayment building up.

• Contact details for the Tax Credit Helpline and Tax Credit Office

More useful links

• Tax credits: changes you need to report and when

Useful contacts

• Tax Credit Helpline - contact details