Tax credits

Tax credits can help you if you’re paying tax but don’t earn a lot of money.

Who is eligible for Working Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit?

You may be eligible for one of these credits if any of the following apply:

• If you’re in work, you could be eligible for Working Tax Credit.
• If you’re disabled, you may be able to get more Working Tax Credit.
• If you have children, you could be eligible for Child Tax Credit.
• If you are the parent of a disabled child, you may be eligible for a higher rate of Child Tax Credit.

To get tax credits, you generally have to be present in Great Britain and ordinarily resident in the United Kingdom.

Child Tax Credit and disability

If you are the parent of disabled children, you can also claim a “disabled child element” for each child who gets Disability Living Allowance (DLA) or Personal Independence Payment (PIP) at any level, or who is registered blind. This will be increased to a “severely disabled child element” if they get DLA at the highest rate for care, or PIP at the enhanced daily living component.

Working Tax Credit and disability

A disability element can be added if you're a disabled worker. If two members of a couple qualify, two disability elements are payable. This can be increased to a severe disability element if you (or your partner) get DLA at the highest rate for the personal care component. If two members of a couple qualify, two severe disability elements are payable.

If you’re already claiming tax credits and your condition changes, you’ll need to talk to HMRC about whether you’ll get more (or less) tax credits.

More information about tax credits

You can find out the basics about tax credits, including whether you’re eligible and how much you might get, at GOV.UK: Working Tax Credit and GOV.UK: Child Tax Credit.

Alternatively, call the Tax Credit Helpline on 0345 300 3900 (textphone 0345 300 3909) to claim or to talk through whether you might be eligible. These are also the numbers for any complaints about tax credits.

Don’t forget, if you do claim tax credits, you’ll need to renew your tax credit claim each year (by July 31).