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Uma: "Tax credits will help us until I return to work"

If you have several children, tax credits can help put food on the table.

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Colin Gray, Photodisc, Getty Images

Life with several children can be a joy - but it also means more mouths to feed. If you're receiving tax credits to help support your large family, it's important to renew your claim - the earlier the better - to make sure you're getting the correct amount of money you're entitled to.
Uma, 26, lives in Birmingham with her husband James and her four children Joe, 8, Lillian, 6, Evie, 4 and Grace, 3.
James earns £20,000 a year as a chef. Uma has a Maths and IT degree, and is looking to return to work. The family receives around £8,000 a year in tax credits in addition to their child benefits.
A temporary solution
"Without tax credits we would really struggle to put food on the table. With six mouths to feed we need every penny just to keep things going. It would also affect the children's schooling, because without tax credits I wouldn't be able to put petrol in the car to drive them there. We live quite a long way from the nearest school, and it's a very long trip on public transport."
Uma says she would like nothing more than to start work and put her degree to good use. She says tax credits will help the family until then, and urges others to make sure they renew their claim.
Remembering to renew

The earlier you get the form in the better, because then you know you're getting the right money you're entitled to.

She says: "Claiming tax credits is just the first step really. You have to make sure you renew them each year. I put a reminder into my mobile phone to badger James to give me his P60, and then I can review the forms HMRC send me.
"I'd advise anyone struggling to provide for their children to do the same. The earlier you start, the better, because then you know you're getting the right money you're entitled to. If I have a question about the form I contact HMRC."
It's essential that you report any errors or changes in your personal circumstances to HMRC as soon as possible, otherwise you might be getting the wrong amount and could risk running up an overpayment that you'll have to pay back.
Where to get more help
All tax credits renewals need to be in by the 31st of July. To find out more about tax credits and renewing in particular, visit the HMRC website.
If you've received your tax credits awards notice, find out how to check it with HMRC's checklist.
This feature is based on a real case study although some information may have been altered.