More than 90% of appeals against tax credit cuts successful, Concentrix claims

MoneySavingExpert.com previously revealed that at least 2,000 appeals against tax credit cuts were being examined by HMRC in the wake of its decision not to renew its contract with Concentrix, which was hired to cut tax credit fraud. However, that number appears to have grown rapidly in recent weeks, with nearly 15,000 claimants now having launched an appeal.

If you believe your tax credits were wrongly cut, see full info and what to do in our Concentrix help story.

'90% to 95%' winning appeals The cross-party Work and Pensions Committee hosted an evidence session in Parliament yesterday (13 October) where MPs, HMRC and Concentrix heard from people who have accused the US-based firm of incorrectly withdrawing their tax credits. The session heard that of the 45,000 people who had payments cut, nearly 15,000 have appealed so far and Concentrix claims that "90% to 95%" have seen the decision overturned. However, HMRC believes the proportion of successful appeals is lower, estimating it is 73%. Officials from HMRC told the committee that a breakdown in customer services at Concentrix had resulted in only 10% of calls being answered on some days – the target set out by HMRC was 90%. HMRC chief executive Jon Thompson and director general of benefits and credits Nick Lodge appeared alongside four tax credit claimants in the parliamentary session, along with Concentrix senior vice president Philip Cassidy. MoneySavingExpert's coverage of the Concentrix debacle led to us being contacted by parliamentary officials in a bid to help them find wronged tax credit claimants to speak at the hearing.