A COUPLE with five sons say they are going to be worse off under the new tax credits system - if they ever get any money.

Sarah and Jonathan Carrick, of Paradise Fields, Easingwold, calculate they will lose £14 a week under the new tax credits as well facing a rise in council tax.

Sarah, 33, said "Our Working Families' Tax Credit payments stopped two weeks ago and we assumed that the new tax credits would then kick in. How wrong we were."

Despite completing their forms before Christmas, the couple are yet to receive an award notice.

It took Sarah nearly a week to get through to the Inland Revenue helpline and she was then told an emergency giro would be paid within three days.

A week later, she is still waiting.

The family has been claiming Working Families' Tax Credit for the last three years.

Jonathan works full-time and Sarah works eight hours a week in a pub.

Sarah said: "There seems to be no priority to it all. I have friends who never claimed tax credits before and have already received their award notices."

She says that they are currently £138 a week short on what they were previously receiving due to Jonathan having to pay more income tax because of the changes to the system of payment.

When they do finally receive the money, it will only be £124 a week.

"How come they can take the money off you in time, but can't pay out on time?" said Sarah.

"My husband's wage last week didn't even cover the mortgage payment so I had to dip into my child benefit.

"If we don't meet the payments, the mortgage company charge us £25 and the bank penalise us £25 for the direct debit.

"I am absolutely fuming. The excuses I have heard from the Inland Revenue are ridiculous."

Updated: 10:28 Friday, April 18, 2003