Post Office payments temporary reprieve
HMRC was due to stop payments of certain benefits, including tax credits and child benefit, into Post Office accounts on 30 November 2021. However, a last-minute reprieve will be welcome news to claimants. What’s going on?
Recipients of certain benefits that use Post Office card accounts for incoming payments were supposed to provide alternative bank details to HMRC by 30 November 2021, or risk suspension of payments. The affected benefits are:
- tax credits;
- child benefit; and
- guardian allowances.
This was due to expiration of the contract between HMRC and the Post Office. Thankfully, some common sense has prevailed during what is a busy time of year - both for tax compliance and obvious familial reasons. HMRC has now announced that it has agreed a one-off extension with the Post Office until 5 April 2022.
Whilst this is obviously welcome news for affected individuals just prior to Christmas, it is crucial to update these details via the tax account, or by contacting HMRC’s tax credits or child benefit helpline sooner rather than later.
Related Topics
-
HMRC moves tax return registration into the digital age
A new and improved self-assessment registration service has been launched. What's changed?
-
Unpaid directors still face new tax return reporting
HMRC has clarified that company directors who are already required to submit a self-assessment tax return must provide details of their directorships for 2025/26 even where they received no salary, benefits or dividends. Directors of dormant companies can also be caught. What do you need to know?
-
Do dividend waivers still work?
You need to take a dividend from your company but there’s just one problem. Your business partner, who is also a 50% shareholder, doesn’t want to take any more income from the company during this tax year. What’s the solution?





This website uses both its own and third-party cookies to analyze our services and navigation on our website in order to improve its contents (analytical purposes: measure visits and sources of web traffic). The legal basis is the consent of the user, except in the case of basic cookies, which are essential to navigate this website.