Nine out of every 10 families with children should benefit

The government minister in charge of tax credits has apologised to families left waiting for payments under the new tax credits system.

Four million claims have been made and the Inland Revenue had to hire an extra 700 call centre staff to cope with enquiries to their helpline.

The Treasury Minister, Dawn Primarolo, apologised to people who haven't received the help they need or the money they're entitled to.

She said the majority have applied for monthly payments and all should get their money by the end of the week.

Last week, she admitted that the payment system "has not worked 100% right from the word go" and promised to look into cases where people applied on time but had still not received their money.

Tax credits should have been paid in the week of 7 April.

But many people have contacted the BBC to say that they have not received their payment on time.