1st Baby- totally confused

Tigsteroonie

47k = 2700 a month take home (minus student loans deductions and pensions)

2700 - 800 mortgage, -800 childcare costs, -130 council tax, - 400 utilities and insurances etc, -170 petrol

!= 400 left a month for food, clothes and one of purchases such as getting the car fixed, replacing the broken washing machine etc.

Can I just say that c.£400/month on utilities and insurances is rather high! I'd be interested in how that breaks down - we pay just under £100/m total utilities, and £100/m total insurance, and that's with stupidly high car insurance.

zagfles

MX5huggy wrote: »

The current system is we are taxed then have to claim it in back via credits, not claiming it back is stupid, you don't get any credit for not claiming.

Yes, and the history of the family element of CTC is a tax allowance - before 2003 it was a child tax allowance (claimable via tax returns/tax code) and before 2001 it was the married couples'/additional personal allowance.

I wonder if those who whinge at the OP claiming the CTC family element ever claimed the married couples/additional personal allowance;)

welshmoneylover

The OP does have a point though!

Him and his Mrs pays £££ in taxes each month over many years then inquire about claiming some sort of benefit to help out with childcare costs. Nothing unreasonable there.

There are many people who come on these boards and pay absolutely ZILCH in income tax, housing costs or council tax because they rely on the state (taxpayers) to pay for their living costs often for many years or expect to claim for the rest of their lives. Then they very often come back to ask if there is ANYMORE they can claim.

Some of the replies have been downright nasty and spiteful and jealous. For those of you moaning about how little you receive in benefits, try getting off your backsides and earn your own money.

Then you can feel annoyed and angry when you see the amount of income tax taken out of your hard earned pay packet each month that goes towards those expecting handouts while giving nothing back.

Good luck OP

squirrelchops

I think it is in the wording. Not so much 'benefit' as entitlement. Does it matter how much you earn if you are entitled to things that everyone else is?

I remember last year getting shot down in flames on this board regarding what entitlement I could receive once I had a child. I wrongly put in the word benefit and of course posted our household income and got berated quite severely. All I really wanted to know was about things such as working tax credits and the like as I had no understanding of them.

somethingsgottogive

I can't believe that people think you're any less entitled to tax credits than they are, just because you've worked hard and got yourself an education and a good wage!

Easiest way to find out is to ring Tax credits on 0845 3003900 and talk to someone, and hopefully find out that you can get some help with childcare costs.

Good luck with your little one, I hope everything goes well

As for the 'contributors' on here, I'd heard that the benefits forum was full of t**ts, but didn't realise 'they were that bad. :eek:

Sixer

As I see it, claiming CTC (or anything else) if eligible for it is no different to saving money in an ISA in order to minimise tax. It's all part of a financial environment in which citizens pay the government some money in income tax, VAT, NICs, cigarette, fuel and alcohol duty, etc, and in some cases are eligible to claim some back via benefits or move some out of tax by opening ISAs or contributing to pensions.

Each citizen can vote to get the government that best meets their opinion of how the financial environment should be organised. Once government has been formed, the environment is there for all to adapt to as best suits them.

Don't like the financial environment? Vote differently, persuade others to vote differently and sigh about the pitfalls of representative democracy!

This OP is entitled to some benefits. He should claim them.

Robbie_Macca

Tigsteroonie wrote: »

Can I just say that c.£400/month on utilities and insurances is rather high! I'd be interested in how that breaks down - we pay just under £100/m total utilities, and £100/m total insurance, and that's with stupidly high car insurance.

£100 electric and gas,
£80 car insurance - for two cars
£45 water, live in SW.
£30 Home and contents insurance
£35 BT
£50 2 x mobile phones
£35 life insurance
£10 tv licence
So £385, plus another 30 for dentist which we pay as we cant get an nhs dentist where we live.

Indie_Kid

Robbie_Macca wrote: »

£100 electric and gas,
£80 car insurance - for two cars
£45 water, live in SW.
£30 Home and contents insurance
£35 BT
£50 2 x mobile phones
£35 life insurance
£10 tv licence
So £385, plus another 30 for dentist which we pay as we cant get an nhs dentist where we live.

Can you get cheaper tariffs? Don't understand why you'd need the dentist every month?

bungle4by4

its dental insurance... obviously

good luck OP, this bunch of green eyed monsters have no manners for the people who actually pay taxes.

RoxieW

It seems that if you are in a household where both parents work and you have children, you can end up worse off then those who dont and scrounge off of the state instead. We have three children, the older two are at school not but when they were younger nursery was £80 a day for the two of them. I think we got 20% paid by tax credits but it was still over £1000 a month for childcare. I gave up in the end and stayed at home, although I have gone back now and am working from home with my lo at home with me (not ideal). I don't see why the OP shouldn't ask what they might be entitled to, just like anyone else.