NEARLY 20,000 tax credit customers in Swindon are being reminded by HM Revenue and Customs that they must renew claims by the July 31 deadline, or their payments may stop.

They are urged to act as soon as they receive a renewal pack from HMRC. More than 3.3m claimants renewed by the deadline last year, 80 per cent of those who were required to do so.

The department is also asking claimants to double check the accuracy of the information in the pack. HMRC may make follow-up queries with claimants’ employers to check on the correctness of some of the information.

Claimants must also let HMRC know of any changes in their circumstances that they haven’t already reported during the year. These could be about their working hours, childcare costs or pay. If asked, they must also provide details of the previous year’s income.

Having the right documents to hand will help reduce errors when they are filling out the form or calling the tax credits helpline. These would be, for example, payslips, end of year P60 forms and childcare details.

There are 19,800 tax credit claimants in Swindon.

HMRC’s Director of Benefits and Credits, Steve Lamey, said: “People should aim to renew their tax credits as soon as they receive their pack. And they need to make sure their details are correct. The sooner they renew, the sooner we can make sure they are getting the right money.

“Our message is renew early, renew accurately and renew on time.

“2013 will see the introduction of Universal Credit, which will by 2017 see the migration of all our Tax Credit customers to that benefit. It is therefore even more important that customers ensure that the data we hold about their claim is accurate prior to their migration to Universal Credit.”

For help on the renewals form log on to www.direct.gov.uk or call 0345 300 3900.