Overview
- About 23,500 families lost payments after HMRC used Home Office travel records that logged departures but often failed to show returns.
- HMRC says it is reinstating wrongly stopped claims and has updated its process to give one month to respond and to check employment data first.
- Conservative MP Andrew Snowden, the Treasury committee and the Liberal Democrats are pressing for a full independent review with published findings.
- Hundreds of families in Northern Ireland were incorrectly flagged after returning via Dublin Airport, exposing regional blind spots in the data.
- Parents report significant stress and financial strain, including cases involving hospitalisation and refugees, while HMRC insists most suspensions are accurate.