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A warning has been issued by the Government to 24,000 people claiming Child Benefit, Working Tax Credits, Child Tax Credits and Guardian’s Allowance.
HMRC says claimants of these benefits have less than one week left to provide new payment details before the November 30 deadline, or risk having payments temporarily stopped, reports the he Birmingham Mail.
From December 1, 2021, HMRC will no longer make payments to Post Office card accounts – and the deadline is coming up fast.
Around 24,000 HMRC customers with a Post Office card account now have just days to give officials their new account information before the November 30 deadline, or risk having payments paused.
HMRC is urging account holders to contact them to update their bank account details to continue receiving payments without disruption.
Customers can choose to receive their benefits and credits payments to a bank, building society or credit union account instead.
Child Benefit and Guardian’s Allowance customers can use their Personal Tax Account to provide revised account details, change their bank account details via GOV.UK or by contacting the Child Benefit helpline on 0300 200 3100.
Tax credits customers can change their bank account details by contacting the tax credits helpline on 0345 300 3900. If customers cannot open a bank account, they should contact HMRC.
Myrtle Lloyd, HMRC’s Director General for Customer Services, said: “Time is running out for customers who have been using a Post Office card account to get payments from us. They need to give us their new account details now to avoid their payments being suspended.
“They can update their details online or by calling us, and they need to be very careful to avoid handing over personal details to fraudsters contacting them claiming to be from HMRC.”
If a customer misses the November 30 deadline, their payments will be paused until the customer notifies HMRC of their new account details.
The Money Advice and Pensions Service offers information and advice about how to choose the right current account and how to open an account.
HMRC says it has been writing to affected customers to notify them that their Post Office card accounts will be closing.
It has also urged everyone to be alert if they are contacted out of the blue by someone asking for money or personal information, due to the high numbers of fraudsters emailing, calling or texting people claiming to be from the department.
The Post Office account closures won’t affect those on DWP benefits for another year.
In September 2021, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) announced that it has agreed a 12-month extension for its customers who use a Post Office card account.
If any HMRC customers also receive DWP payments, this extension only applies to DWP-related payments.
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