We were contacted with an urgent case. A single mum with a child had been overpaid on tax credits and HMRC were collecting the over-payment from her child tax credits, which left her with no more than £20 per week for her and her daughter to live off. She had secured herself a new job, but found out that Tax Credits won’t award working tax credit until she has supplied wage slips, but her new employer won’t be doing that until some time in December. It was agreed that we send her £150 to be able to top up her gas and electric meters, buy some food and have some money for bus fares to get back and forth to work. Hopefully that money and the voucher for food sent to her from another organisation will keep her ticking over until her first salary is paid.