22 September 2011
Tax credits computer system unavailable from Friday 7th Oct to Mon 10th October 2011
Upgrades to the tax credits computer system will take place in October 2011.
The tax credits system will be unavailable from the start of Friday 7 October until 10am on Monday 10 October 2011. Helpline advisers will not be able to make any changes to claimant’s records whilst the system is unavailable. Helplines will be open as normal during these times but advisers will not be able to make changes to records, etc.
Two items in the upgrade which may be of interest are ‘coding out of debts’ and ‘expansion of the “rules based” guidance service'.
Coding out of debts will enable Debt, Management & Banking (DMB) to recover tax credits debts (and other debts) by adjusting an individual’s notice of coding. Rules Based Service (RBS) helps HMRC develop common processes when receiving telephone calls or correspondence from customers. It is widely used by helpline advisers and the expanded Rules Based Service will now have access to additional data.
The system upgrade contains no changes to any of the tax credits automated forms, including the award notice and annual declaration.