Moan about Child Tax Credits

armywifey_2

I just want to rant really. As my name suggests I am the wife of a serving soldier. We have 2 young children under 3 and up until a month ago I was in employment (part time for the last 2 years). we moved due to my husbands job changing and therefore I had to resign from my job.

I now find myself in the position of looking for a new job which stupidly enough I thought would be easy. I have worked since I was 15, have a degree and various other quals and am willing to work in any job BUT......

On doing our sums I would have to earn at least £19,000 to actually earn some money (£56.87 per month!) due to childcare costs for 2 children being £1,197 per month. A friend of ours who earns more combined with her hubby told me to check if we were entitled to the Childcare element as they get £600 per month towards thier childcare. Great we thought but no, my hubby earns too much apparently (but strangely the same as friends husband).

What really rattles me is that yes, hubby earns a good salary BUT from his salary he pays a chunk of tax and NI, about £500 on various life, kit and other insurances that he has to have. He works upwards of 60 hours per week including weekends and is away up to 3 weeks at a time (yes its his job and I knew that when i married him) We are left with enough to buy food for our babies, ourselves, petrol for the car (we live 20 miles from any supermarkets/shops and no public transport). Gas and elecricity are getting more expensive and for some reason due to move house and car insurance have both gine up another £40 between them.

So no working tax credits, no childcare element but yet we know of people who earn more who get more tax credits? The whole system is crazy. And from next year the £38 tax credit we do get will be scrapped for us.

I didnt want to claim jsa but with the cost of nappies and other essential items going up Ive had to.

I just want to work and be able to buy nice things for our kids, we have no family where we are and noone to help us out. Its really getting us down to the point where he jokingly said that if he got out the army and we both worked part time we would earn just as much as we do now due to benefits (note - he wouldnt get out, he loves his job and has worked too hard to get where he is). Its all crazy.

Indie_Kid

Everyone else pays tax, NI & bills too. No-one forced you to live 20 miles from a supermarket.

armywifey_2

the army foced us lo live this far away actually and i know everyone pays tax and ni, never said they didnt.

AnxiousMum

SH1305 - maybe they live on base, or near base so that the daily commute would be closer and cheaper for the husband rather than the weekly commute to the grocery store?

If your friends are on the same salary, and have the same number of children, including the same number - if any - under the age of one, and they are getting a load more than you find you would be entitled to - then there must be something else different that you are not aware of, or one of you have your figures wrong.

For what it's worth, we both work full time, I have five children, four still dependent - and I too would love to be able to buy my children nice things, take vacations etc. However, that's my responsibility to provide, not the tax payers. The child tax credits are there to ensure that children are not living in poverty - not to provide 'nice things'. We too pay well in excess of £500 per month in pensions, NI, tax, professional dues etc. - you are certainly not alone there. While I admire the job your husband has, and thank him for what he does - there are alot of jobs where spouses are away for lengths of time, or working weekends as well.

armywifey_2

i didnt come on for abuse just wanted to moan about sytem being unfair to some people. I dont want hand outs i would just like to work. I just want a normal life. Im sorry, if i have offended anyone. Moved here a week ago, hubby left this morning for another 8 month trip to a sand pit (has only been back 9 months from the last one). I have no family, no friends here (live 500 miles from home) The only other contact i get is a twice weekly trip to the hospital with my baby for kidney scans (which is also making job finding difficult). Im so sorry if i have annoyed anyone, im sorry

Jowo_2

Don't fret - the benefits system is extremely complex and frustrating to navigate through. Check your eligibility on the Entitled To (turn 2 us) website. Any chance you could find cheaper child care than that?

Sounds also like you could do with a decent social outlet to take your mind off your kid's illness and husband's posting. Remember to look after yourself and your needs, too.

mitchaa

You will both be benefitting from living very cheaply, i.e married quarter rates are peanuts in comparison to mortgage/rent amounts.

So that is a bonus.

What is your joint income? It may seem like a personal question but without the details, we will be unable to help. With childcare so high, I would expect you would get some help upto earnings of around £45-50k.

If it's higher, then you should both be looking at using the childcare voucher scheme. I know the military do them, your future employer may also do them. If both of you take advantage of them, that alone can save you £150pm off childcare. If paying higher rate tax, the savings are better still.

Interrogate your friend a little more, perhaps their childcare costs are double to yours and hence why they may earn more but yet qualify for these. Perhaps they are committing benefit fraud?

DX2

armywifey wrote: »

i didnt come on for abuse just wanted to moan about sytem being unfair to some people. I dont want hand outs i would just like to work. I just want a normal life. Im sorry, if i have offended anyone. Moved here a week ago, hubby left this morning for another 8 month trip to a sand pit (has only been back 9 months from the last one). I have no family, no friends here (live 500 miles from home) The only other contact i get is a twice weekly trip to the hospital with my baby for kidney scans (which is also making job finding difficult). Im so sorry if i have annoyed anyone, im sorry

Chin up chick, there are plenty of people on MSE who are more than happy to blether with you Sometimes you just gotta be thick skinned

DX2

sh1305 wrote: »

Everyone else pays tax, NI & bills too. No-one forced you to live 20 miles from a supermarket.

So your an expert in the armed forces way of life now, give her a break.

xfive71

Hi, have you thought about checking out any grants or special schemes available to armed forces? I work for SSAFA Forces Help and they do have an In-Service branch divison who could probably point you in the right direction. If there is no money forthcoming, it is still a great social thing and you may find someone who could support you socially.

armywifey_2

Joint income is less than £40,000 (just) we already use the childcare vouchers, childcare here is £3.50 per hour per child. I know that is cheap compared to some places.

As for accommodation I know we have it better off and are grateful for it.

One of the reasons for me getting a job is so that we could save for our own house so that I and the children could move home closer to family. My husbands trade is such that there is not many of them in the army trained to do what he does meaning that he is away 8-9 months of the year we both want to have our own house so that when he is away I will at least have some family support.

My friend was on a career break for the last 3 years and returned to work on promotion. She thinks she gets so much as her earnings for the last 3 years has been zero.

Thanks for the SSAFA info, am ex AWS so know about support networks etc. Its just different being in the situation myself from giving the advice to people.

Just been harder this time him going back as 3 of his friends who do the same job did not make it back last time and it is weighing heavily on my mind.