What Happens To Your Tax Credits If Your Partner Moves Back In?

If you are wondering what happens to your claim for Tax Credits when your partner moves back in with you, you will find detailed guidance in the following blog post. While we will mainly discuss the consequences of such a change in your circumstances on your Tax Credits payments, we will also explore the expected change in your Tax Credit payments and how your income (single or joint) is calculated during the assessment for earnings.

What Happens To Your Tax Credits If Your Partner Moves Back In?

If your partner moves back in with you, you will need to cancel your previous claim of Tax Credits as a single person and apply for a joint claim by informing the HMRC that your partner has moved back in with you.

This is called a change of circumstance that affects your benefits claim especially in the case of means-tested benefits such as Tax Credits that take your and your partner’s income into account.

While you were living separately from your partner, the HMRC would have only taken your income into consideration during your means assessment for a benefits claim. 

This is irrespective of whether or not you are married to your partner or not. If a couple shares a household together, both of their incomes are taken into account for a means test.

However, now that your partner has moved back in, both of your incomes (whether they are earnings from a job or pension or through benefits payments) will be taken into account for your Tax Credits claim.

Depending on whether or not your partner is employed and their level of income, your Tax Credits claim will be affected when your partner moves in. If your partner’s earnings bring a significant change to your household income, it is most likely that you will experience a fall in your Tax Credits claim.

However, you must keep in mind that the monetary changes are not the only ones associated with your Tax Credit claim. You will also need to transfer from a single-person claim to a joint one.

How Should You Inform HMRC When Your Partner Moves Back In?

You can inform the HMRC when your partner moves back in by using the online service or the HMRC application. You will need your Government Gateway user ID and password to update your records with these changes online.

Otherwise, you can also inform the HMRC about the change of circumstances when your partner moves back in with you by writing a letter to them and posting it to the following address:

HM Revenue and Customs

Tax Credit Office – change of circumstance

BX9 1ER

Alternatively, you can call the HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) Tax Credits helpline at 0345 300 3900 between Monday and Friday, from 8 am to 6 pm.

Irrespective of your preferred method to inform the HMRC, you must make sure that you inform them within 1 month of your partner moving back in with you so that any possible penalties may be avoided.

How Is Income Assessed For Tax Credits When Your Partner Moves Back In?

The HMRC will take into account the income that you and your partner have received during the previous tax year when they conduct a means test for a joint claim for Tax Credits.

This means that any amount(s) that both of you have earned in the recent 12 months up to April 5th of the tax year in question will be counted as household income; based on which, the HMRC will decide the amount of Tax Credits you can claim as a couple.

You can also calculate this amount on your own by following these steps:

• start with the “total for year” amount mentioned on your P60 End of Year Certificate
• add any interest on savings or pensions that you have received during the year
• also add amount(s) received through state benefits

If you need to discuss income calculations for a benefits claim, you can seek guidance from the Citizens Advice Bureau.

Conclusion:

The above discussion clearly highlights that there is a definite change in payments for Tax Credits that can result from a change in circumstances such as a partner moving back in. however it is the amount of their income that will determine whether your Tax Credits reduce when a partner moves back and by how much.

References:

Check if a change affects your tax credits – Citizens Advice

How to claim working and child tax credits – Citizens Advice