Tax Credits - new rules affecting min. hours for couples

lin473

I'm hoping someone on here is able to advise.
I had heard that for couples to qualify for wtc one will have to be working at least 24hrs instead of 16 at present.
I think this comes into force next year.

Due to poor health oh is struggling to keep working and gradually he has dropped his hours to 20 pw.
He does not fit the criteria for DLA as he can manage his own personal care and although he has slowed down considerably and is in a lot of pain ,he can still walk.

I am carer to our profoundly disabled son so on carers allowance.
Does that count for anything in terms of hours for WTC purposes?
Presumably we would still qualify for child tax credits but would we lose the working tax credits.
If so,would we be eligable for anything else?

Jowo_2

Hopefully other MSE members can advise you on your options and any update to this article

"The biggest change is for couples with children who can currently get working tax credit if at least one partner works at least 16 hours a week.
From April 2012, such couples will have to work at least 24 hours a week, with one partner working at least 16 hours.
A family with two adults and two children, where one adult works 22.5 hours earning £10,000, will receive around:

• £7,558 in 2010-11
• £8,057 in 2011-12
• £6,035 in 2012-13

They will lose working tax credit of around £2,500 from April 2012 because the family no longer qualifies for it, although this will be partially compensated by the above-indexation increase in child tax credit.
This loss may be reduced by interactions with other means-tested benefits such as housing benefit and council tax benefit.
At present, the detail of this change has not been released.
As well as families losing the normal elements of working tax credit - and in some cases child tax credit - if they do not work enough hours under the new rules, it is not clear what will happen to those families who claim childcare costs where one partner has a disability and the other works, say, 20 hours.
Often in this scenario, the family needs childcare as the working adult is required to spend their non-work time caring for the disabled adult and is often unable to fulfil childcare responsibilities.
Under the present rules, they qualify for help with childcare.
But, as the childcare element is part of working tax credit, there is a risk that this access to childcare will be lost unless an exception to the new rule is introduced. "

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-11621984

lin473

Right, so we would still qualify if managed to get work for at least 4 hrs a week.
It doesn't sound much.but I already feel stretched to the limit as I have had to pick up most of the jobs around the home that OH used to do as well as meeting all ds care and medical needs.

If I can't work these extra hours would we also lose entitlement to free prescriptions ,dental treatment etc which we currently get as WTC claimants?
This would be a massive expenditure as OH is on numerous types of medication .

Indie_Kid

lin473 wrote: »

If I can't work these extra hours would we also lose entitlement to free prescriptions ,dental treatment etc which we currently get as WTC claimants?
This would be a massive expenditure as OH is on numerous types of medication .

From Direct Gov:

You also qualify [for NHS low income scheme] if your income is £15,276 or less and you also get one of the following:
Child Tax Credit (with or without Working Tax Credit)