BUNGLING Inland Revenue officials turned down a family's claim for tax credits claiming they had no children under 16 - despite seeing a child's birth certificate.

Jackie Harris is "furious" after receiving four identical letters telling her and husband Peter they were not entitled to the means-tested benefit, which could boost their family's annual income by £2,000, because their children "weren't eligible".

"I couldn't believe it," said Mrs Harris of Malvern, who has two daughters aged six and eight.

"I'd put the wrong date of birth for my daughter on the tax credit claim form so the Inland Revenue wrote to me asking for a copy of her birth certificate.

"I sent the certificate off with the amendment to the form and received it back by registered post.

"I thought that was the end of it until I read the letters on Friday saying we weren't entitled to anything."

Mrs Harris, who works at the Evening News, applied for working tax credit and child tax credit in November and expected the payments to begin in April, as promised by the Government.

But to date, she has not received any money and says she is particularly angry because she is paying £30 a month more tax without receiving any credits to compensate for the deduction

"To make matters worse, my husband has taken on a job with half the salary so he could take the children to and from school to save money on childcare.

"I spent the whole of Monday afternoon and all of Tuesday trying to ring the tax credit helpline to point out the error but couldn't get beyond a recorded message telling me to call back later. I felt like tearing my hair out.

"I'm outraged and have now written to them pointing out their error. If I don't hear from them soon I shall be considering a claim for compensation for time wasted and bank overdraft charges."

A spokesman for the Inland Revenue said: "I can't comment on individual cases but this does sound like an error.

"I would advise her to go into her local Inland Revenue inquiry centre and they will look at it for her."