child care when going self employed

sarahevie

I'm thinking about becoming full time self employed - this is after having to cancel a job interview today because I couldn't get childcare for my 17 day old.

I'm an academic by career, just waiting for my PhD to be assessed - so I've been sending papers off to journals to be published (these pay between £250 - £750 if they are published - big IF)

I've also been invited to do freelance interviewing work, this evening I'm getting paid £40 for 1 1/2.

I'm also registered as a mystery shopper and have earnt the odd £10

I'm keeping a record of these ad hoc earnings and have informed tax HMRC, tax credits etc.

I'm also considering setting up my own website to sell baby products from but in order to do this I would need childcare which I can't currently afford.

Just wondering if your earnings are nil, due to recently starting a business, whether you can still get help with childcare costs. If I can't get childcare two days a week I can't really set up a new business.

sobrokeithurts

Hi Sarahevie

Why dont you give the tax credits helpline a ring as Im sure they would be able to help you. If you are registered as self employed and work a certain amount of hours per week, I think that is the key point, then you should be eligible for working tax credit and also the childcare element as well.
Im a registered childminder and some of my parents get 80% of their total childcare paid for them so it really makes a huge difference to their incomes and makes it worthwhile going back to work.

carkeyz

I have recently gone self employed and it has been easy setting up childcare.... talk to the tax credits x

Dontknowanymore

Asking this question on the benefits board might get you more answers, you could ask for it to be moved, if I remeber correctly there are a couple of TC advisors who post over there.
Hope you get it sorted