Money alert: Tax credit deadline extended

Have you renewed your tax credits yet? More than half a million people haven't and risk losing them.

However, anyone who claims tax credits has been handed an extra few days to renew them, not because HM Revenue and Customs is being uncharacteristically helpful, but because of strike action.

The crucial thing to bear in mind is that if you don't renew your credits, you risk losing your payments. The original deadline for doing so was last Thursday, 31 July, but HM Revenue and Customs has extended the deadline to 10pm next Wednesday, 6 August.

It was forced to do so because people faced extremely long delays trying to get through to its renewal phone line as a result of industrial action this week by the Public and Commercial Services Union.

The union was staging rolling action – which started on Wednesday and continued through to Thursday and Friday – to highlight its concerns about continuing staff shortages.

You can renew tax credits online at gov.uk/renewtaxcredits or by calling 0345 300 3900.