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Postal strike - tax credits and Child Benefit payments
- Published: Thursday, 5 November 2009
Postal services may still be disrupted because of the mail strikes. Most customers will not be affected as the Tax Credit and Child Benefit Office pay your money directly into your account.
Who may be affected?
You may be affected if you normally get your tax credits or Child Benefit money paid to you by cheque.
You will not be affected if your money is paid directly into a:
- bank account
- building society account
- Post Office card account
What should you do if your payment has not arrived?
The Tax Credit and Child Benefit Office has posted your payment to you as normal. If it has not yet arrived because of the postal strike, their advice is to allow a few extra days for it to be delivered to you.
If you haven’t got your tax credits payment and you can’t meet your essential living expenses, call the helpline and speak to an adviser on:
- 0845 300 3900
- Textphone 0845 300 3909 - if you are deaf or have a hearing or speech impairment
What will happen to claim forms and other information sent by post?
The Tax Credit and Child Benefit Office will process your claim as soon as possible, once your claim form is received.
They will also deal with any information you have sent by post as soon as possible once it is received.
Other ways of getting your money
You can choose to have your Child Benefit, tax credits or Guardian's Allowance paid straight into an account using a system called Direct Payment.
Find out what types of account you can and can’t use for Direct Payment.
How the strike may affect other benefits you get
If you get other benefit payments paid by cheque from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), those payments could be affected too.
