Does this Qualify as a lightbulb Moment ?

MSE_Martin

Congratulations rubix - wishing you and your family wonderous joy at your new birth...

However frizzel81..... ooh are you in my bad books.... (i own the ban button remember )

Quote:



We have decided to use real nappies where we can (for cost and environmental reasons) The programme with a skipfull of nappies made me choose (I think it was Martin, not sure though).



that programme was no waste like home i remember watching it and thinking yuck but its still taken me a while to decide to use real nappies

This was an episode of Make Me Rich, where we had a skip of nappies for triplets.... no waste like home may've done something similar.... but it was definitely MMR! (in fact it was a cheap it was a skip filled with rubble, but with nappies on the top - otherwise the enviro damage would've been bad) however it was calculated how many nappies would fill it.

It was that stunt that persuaded me to write the nappy moneysaving article

martin

rubix_76

Spendless wrote:

Congratulations on your baby boy. Tax credits has been mentioned but you can play around with figures here www.entitledto.co.uk
You get an additional £545 p.a for the 1st year of babys life (called the baby element) on top of your ordinary entitlement.
if you don't qualify for childcare help via the tax credit system (you can work it out by putting your figures in with and without childcare), look into childcare vouchers. You can both salary sacrifice upto £55 a week for the vouchers and don't pay tax and NI on the amount sacrficed.

I was asked about NET weekly earnings so they could work out how much council tax credit I was entitled to - I dunno - I get paid monthly also I pay a pension monthly also !!!

Anyhow what is this £545 pa for the first year of the babys life, I have never heard of this. Is this related to what beneifits/income you get ? - I am not going to abuse the system, but I am going to milk it for all its worth ! I have NEVER claimed unemployemnt benefit as I can ALWAYS find work even if it is unskilled labour !!! (sorry RANT over now !!!)

Also, how long should we wait till we try to claim for child tax credits, as DW is on MAT leave at the mo, and her income will drop when she goes back to work (from FT to 3 days a week)

Me is very confused

Thanks for your help spendless.

Rubix

rubix_76

MSE_Martin wrote:

Congratulations rubix - wishing you and your family wonderous joy at your new birth...

However frizzel81..... ooh are you in my bad books.... (i own the ban button remember )



This was an episode of Make Me Rich, where we had a skip of nappies for triplets.... no waste like home may've done something similar.... but it was definitely MMR! (in fact it was a cheap it was a skip filled with rubble, but with nappies on the top - otherwise the envir:D o damage would've been bad) however it was calculated how many nappies would fill it.

It was that stunt that persuaded me to write the nappy moneysaving article

martin

Why thank you Martin :T :j

if frizzel81 is in your bad books, does that make me in your good books - Do I get a prize now

Rubix

tyllwyd

rubix_76 wrote:

Anyhow what is this £545 pa for the first year of the babys life, I have never heard of this. Is this related to what beneifits/income you get ? - I am not going to abuse the system, but I am going to milk it for all its worth ! I have NEVER claimed unemployemnt benefit as I can ALWAYS find work even if it is unskilled labour !!! (sorry RANT over now !!!)

I just got myself into a complete tangle over child tax credits, but I think I've worked out what we've been awarded now.

My award says "A child element may be paid for a child from birth until the day before 1 September following their 16th birthday. A single baby element is paid if at least one child is under the age of one." My husband's income takes us over the limit for most benefits, but we've still been awarded £547.50 for the year, so I'm sure your family would be entitled to it (plus the baby element).

I tried claiming working tax credit with child care costs, but what I didn't realise was that my husband's full time work took us over the limit for that, so although they sent us a letter saying that it had been awarded to me, it didn't make it clear that they had actually awarded us £0!

Anyhow, I'd say the best thing to do is to ring up the tax credits people and tell them your current circumstances. You can tell them the new circumstances later in the year when your wife goes back to work. Then you are in the system, and they can work out what you are entitled to receive (although whether you can trust them to get it right seems to be another question completely!!) But as far as I am concerned, there is no element of abusing the system, we all pay our taxes when we are working, and the government choses to distribute some of the money back with these tax credits, so it makes sense to claim anything we are entitled to.

missk_ensington

Someones probably already said this (not read all 55 posts!) but Cat insurance??? It'd be cheaper to buy a new cat! Its a complete waste of money because the likelihood of your cat actually needing betinary care, the bill will probably be less than what you've paid anyway!!! Id take the chance!

If your mob is contract, pretend you're leaving the company and see what they offer you. Orange just gave me 500 xnet min/500texts for £23 month as opposed to 400min and 1000 texts for £50 a month, of which 1000 texts I never used anyway. Plus a new phone, bluetooth headset thingy and 500 complimentary texts until the 17th when the new plan kicks in. (Long story, but the 1000 texts were a promo for 18 mon and no one told me, so when they stopped I got £130 bill!)

I've also just changed my landline from tariff 3 to tariff 2 when I saw on my statement I only used 4 hours of calls all month!

rubix_76

missk_ensington wrote:

Someones probably already said this (not read all 55 posts!) but Cat insurance??? It'd be cheaper to buy a new cat! Its a complete waste of money because the likelihood of your cat actually needing betinary care, the bill will probably be less than what you've paid anyway!!! Id take the chance!

If your mob is contract, pretend you're leaving the company and see what they offer you. Orange just gave me 500 xnet min/500texts for £23 month as opposed to 400min and 1000 texts for £50 a month, of which 1000 texts I never used anyway. Plus a new phone, bluetooth headset thingy and 500 complimentary texts until the 17th when the new plan kicks in. (Long story, but the 1000 texts were a promo for 18 mon and no one told me, so when they stopped I got £130 bill!)

I've also just changed my landline from tariff 3 to tariff 2 when I saw on my statement I only used 4 hours of calls all month!

I'm sorry but you are SO WRONG on the cat insurance (You obviously hate pets !!!) our cats are 4 years old (brother and sister) and we have claimed back more money in those 4 years than we have paid in insurance. Our cat has an ongoing condition which we did not know about when we get her, and it sometimes flares up and costs lots !!! and if you love your pets (like some of us do) you will do anything for them, even if that involves paying thousands if they were to get run over (x-rays and vets accomodation is VERY expensive). Insurance is definitely worth it otherwise we have had to foot the bill instead of just the excess.

I know of some people who don't see that pets can be like children to those people who are childless. Would you not do the best for your children !!!! :mad:

As for the mobile we are on contracts (yet to expire) and we use the to their full potential.

Sorry for the rant, but I do not agree with you (obviously !!)

Rubix (awaiting fallout)

missk_ensington

:: Irrelevent comments removed - FM ::

Your contract doesn't need to be up, so long as your in the latter half. If you tell them you're going to put it on Line Rental Only, switch it off and move to a different company, you'll be suprised what they'll give you!

sammy115

:T Rubix

Have you phoned tax credit people up yet. If not do it now! I found them very nice to talk to and they told me how much we would get straight away. Also ask about maternity grant (sure start) i think its called. Its £500 and you may qualify for it. Also when they ask you for your estimated income for this financial year be sure to tell them that your wife is getting statutory maternity pay. They deduct the first £100 per week Statutory maternity pay off your annual income.

Good luck on the birth of your baby boy. Did you tell us his name or have I missed that one?

Sammy

Spendless

rubix_76 wrote:

I was asked about NET weekly earnings so they could work out how much council tax credit I was entitled to - I dunno - I get paid monthly also I pay a pension monthly also !!!

Anyhow what is this £545 pa for the first year of the babys life, I have never heard of this. Is this related to what beneifits/income you get ? - I am not going to abuse the system, but I am going to milk it for all its worth ! I have NEVER claimed unemployemnt benefit as I can ALWAYS find work even if it is unskilled labour !!! (sorry RANT over now !!!)

Also, how long should we wait till we try to claim for child tax credits, as DW is on MAT leave at the mo, and her income will drop when she goes back to work (from FT to 3 days a week)

Me is very confused

Thanks for your help spendless.

Rubix

You need to use gross income for tax credits and any benefits in kind are added as income too (eg company car). Whatever your entitlement to tax credit is for the 1st year of babys life you are also entitled to an additional £545 (roughly£10 a week) which is called the baby element. So for example if you are worked out as being eligible for the family element of tax credits you would receive. For babys 1st year you would receive

Child benefit £17ish (for eldest or only child)
Tax credit £10 family element
tax credit £10 baby element

After baby turns 1 your tax credit would reduce by £10 a week as you would lose the baby element.

I already had a child when tax credits came in, so don't know if hospital puts in a form amongst your bounty pack stuff along with child benefit form?

rubix_76

Spendless wrote:

You need to use gross income for tax credits and any benefits in kind are added as income too (eg company car). Whatever your entitlement to tax credit is for the 1st year of babys life you are also entitled to an additional £545 (roughly£10 a week) which is called the baby element. So for example if you are worked out as being eligible for the family element of tax credits you would receive. For babys 1st year you would receive

Child benefit £17ish (for eldest or only child)
Tax credit £10 family element
tax credit £10 baby element

After baby turns 1 your tax credit would reduce by £10 a week as you would lose the baby element.QUOTE]

Thanks spendless, I think I undestand now. I thought the extra £500 odd was something else you had to apply for, but I assume it is all included.

Rang the nice people at the tax credits office (as their website is down - security problems !!!) and they will sned me an info pack which will allow backdated payments from when Baby Rubix was born :j

I thought we would be notified about tax credits once baby was born (like child benifit) but apparentyly not, but at least the ball is rolling now.

Thanks again. :T