Tax Credits

What are Tax Credits?

Tax Credits are made up of Child Tax Credits and Working Tax Credits.

• Child Tax Credits are to help pay for the costs of children
• Working Tax Credits are to help top up wages

Tax Credits are means tested so take into account your income. They are administered by HM Revenue and Customs.

There is no capital limit for Tax Credits.

Tax credits end on 5 April 2025. No more payments will be made after that. You’ll be sent a letter in 2024 if you are eligible for Universal Credit or Pension Credit instead.

Am I eligible for Tax Credits?

Child Tax Credits

To be eligible for Child Tax Credits you must:

• be responsible for a child or a qualifying young person
• satisfy the income means test

Working Tax Credits

To be eligible for Child Tax Credits you must:

• be in paid work
• work enough hours, which vary depending on your circumstances
• satisfy the income means test

How much Tax Credit might I receive?

The current Tax Credit rates can be found at Citizens Advice webpages on Tax Credits. The amount you get depends on many things including how much income you have, your age, the hours you work and if there are child disability benefits.

You can also Check your entitlement to benefits online on the Gov.UK.

Benefit cap

Your benefit(s) may be limited by the Benefit cap.

How to claim Tax Credits

It is not normally possible to make a new claim for Tax Credits. Instead you would have to make a claim for Universal Credit. However if you are already on Working Tax Credits and you have a child, you can then ask for Child Tax Credits for your new child. It is not a new claim, just a change to your existing Tax Credits. The same is true if you are already on Child Tax Credits and you start working the required hours, you can then ask for Working Tax Credits to be included in your Tax Credits. More details about this are on the City Council’s more detailed Universal Credit webpage.

See also I get Tax Credits (Working Tax Credit or Child Tax Credit) and live in Newcastle. Do I have to claim Universal Credit? | Newcastle City Council

Tax Credits are administered and paid by the Tax Credits office of HM Revenue and Customs. See manage your Tax Credits on gov.uk

Where to get benefits advice

You can get benefits advice from a local independent service. They can help guide you through the application process and explain how some benefits may impact upon another. Services in Newcastle include:

• Citizens Advice Newcastle (CAN).
• Newcastle Welfare Rights Service have self help material on their website
• Search Newcastle give benefits advice to older people in the West of Newcastle
• Disability North give disability related benefit advice, help with appeals and representation at tribunals

• InformationNOW has more details on bank accounts.

Last updated: January 24, 2025