I'm worried about being victimised by my employer for claiming Working Tax Credit

If these arguments do not persuade an employer, then workers' rights not to be victimised may be more persuasive. The law (Schedule 1 of the Tax Credits Act 2002) says that an employee has the right “not to be subjected to any detriment” (that is, any penalty or punishment) because:

• they claimed Working Tax Credit, or
• they were entitled to Working Tax Credit, or
• the employer was penalised for breaking the Working Tax Credit rules.

An employee who is dismissed for one of these reasons is automatically treated as having been unfairly dismissed.

Even if the employee is not actually entitled to Working Tax Credit they still have the right not to be victimised if they acted in good faith. These rights still apply when someone was acting on behalf of the employee.

One important point to bear in mind is that there is no 'qualifying period' for these rights: the right not to be victimised applies from the first day of employment.

Workers can take a victimisation claim to an Employment Tribunal, and may be awarded up to £53,500 for unfair dismissal, and up to £260 per week (up to a maximum of £7,800) for loss of earnings.