Please could u help: Childcare credit?

sassygirl_2

Hi, Ill aplogise for the length of this post in advance, Its muddled in my head and could do with some help trying to work it all out.

Current situation: Me OH and 3 children 12, 7 and 2. OH works 42 hours earning 20k per annum. I dont work as i look after the kids and doing college courses to better myself. I receive £140 per week CTC. I have a son aged 9 who lives with his dad and i pay matinence.

I have the opportunity to possibly work, 20 hours per week at £6,20 per hour.

This is where it gets complicated, so please bear with me lol.

Ive called around nurseries and the going rate is £30 per day so i would need 3 full day sessions = £90
wages = £124 per week
minus NI ??
CSA want £30 per week (CTC plus wages)
Fuel costs £15 per week to get to nursery and work.
breakfast club for 7 yr old = £7.50 x 3 days per week

in school hols 7 yr old will need 3 full days in holiday club =£72

If my calculations are right it will be something like

£140 (CTC)
£124 (wages)
£264 total

Minus
£90 childcare num1
22.50 breakfast club
30.00 CSA
15.00 Fuel

264 -
157.50
= 106.50

If my calculations are right ill be 33.50 worse off per week by working. Please can someone check my calcultions and see if i hve done it right.
I have also spoken to tax credits and they wont pay any childcare. as we would earn £26,448 between us. I thought you could earn up to something like 50k????

can anyone help me find a way to make me beter off working as i am desperate to go back to work.

Thankyou

lauzellen

Put your details into this calculator https://www.turn2us.entitledto.co.uk/entitlementcalculator.aspx using 09/10 income for what you will recieve up to april if you did start working including what your potential situation will be when it asks about whether you work...

Edited to add - add your childcosts for the whole year up to compensate for your childcare needs during school holidays and divide by 52 to get the weekly amount.

sassygirl_2

Thankyou Ive done the average childcare and it comes in at £104.71 per week. I then went onto that website and the figures it gives are
Annual Weekly
Working Tax Credit 1151.32 22.08
Child Tax Credit 7456.95 143.01

so about £25 extra to what i get at the mo. Taking that off the Minus £33.50 I shall be £8.50 worse off still Please someone tell me how you do manage to work and make it worth your while doing it.

Thanks for your help, i think its back to the drawing board for me.

lauzellen

In the short term you may be worse off but think about the skills you will be building and potential career progression - short term loss may equal long term gain. Once your 2yr old is 3 you will get 15hr a week free childcare from the government and then in school a yr later. Think of the big picture and whether you can live with the part time shortfall. Best of luck x

lauzellen

I get your weekly childcare to be 124 a week...

Calculated as... (22.50 x 39) + (72 x 13) + (90 x 52) = 6493.50

6493.5/52 = 124.87


Maybe this will make a difference?

Size30

Have you tried child minders?
If nursery charges for a full day, you will probably find a childmindernwho charges by the hour.

Maybe worth looking into?

nannytone_2

the benefit system under the labour government was way to generous.
it's amazing to think that a couple who both work could be worse off!
i think you need to take the long term view, as under the current government, benefits will be cut and cut again.
you only improve your long term prospects by hard work, and this is what you appear to be doing.
all the luck in the world to you!

tsstss7

If you have the room you could consider an au pair. She (or he) would look after both your younger children and hopefully keep on eye on the older one too. I don't think they have to live in but not completely sure on that. They are limited to the number of hrs they can work so it might work if you are only on part time hours.

sassygirl_2

Thankyou all for your help It is very much appreciated. Im going to look into child minders, but to be honest i am just not a big fan of them, but that is just a personal opinion, If i can find one that i trust with my baby boy then it may be a way forward.

I am desperate to work to set a good example to my children for one and for my own self esteem and future prospects. I am currently awaiting an OU course starting, so will be studying too

I found out yesterday that there is a tesco express going up in our village, and a bookies, so I am going to put my name down for evening and weekend work, fingers crossed something comes up

Thankyou again for your comments