Worried about reduction in child care costs entitlement

meluvnext

I am really worried about the reduction to 70% from 80% help in costs towards childcare. I am working full time and as a result need full time childcare, a reduction of just 10% is really going to make it not worth my while working. I am not entitled to housing or council tax benefit.

Does anyone know if it is going to be substituted with something else.

A 10% decrease in help may not sound much but it means I will be paying £55 per week towards childcare myself.

ixwood

£250 or whatever a month doesn't sound too unreasonable to me for full time child care.

You must earn a lot more than that? Minimum wage full time is just over £10k per year and tax will be minimal, so maybe £800ish say.

Having said that, I'm not even sure why any of your childcare costs should be paid really. If it does cost more for childcare, just stay at home and look after them. It's only a few years until they start school anyway.

zagfles

The child element is going up which will partially offset it. But the income withdrawal rate is going up too. You'll probably pay less tax next year, and less NI if you earn under £23k.

harry7075

If your child is 3 or over they are entitled to funding of, I believe, 16 hrs a week for 38 weeks a year

meluvnext

actually my childcare costs are £175 per week, I pay at the moment £35 per week towards it but with the changes to child care element I will be paying £55 towards it.

I get £6 per hour 40 hours per week.

My daughter is 8 so does not qualify for the help 3 year olds do, I pay full time costs even though she is at school as she has SN which require the childminder to go into school to admin meds.

So this change in chilcare costs would effect me hugely.

zagfles

£52.50 to be pedantic (30% of 175). Other changes will offset some of your loss - you'll save about £300 a year in tax and NI, you'll gain £255 from the increased child element (per child - assume you have just the one?), then you'll lose about £121 because of the increased withdrawal rate. So you'll probably be about £476 a year worse off, bit over £9 a week.

sunnyone

meluvnext wrote: »

actually my childcare costs are £175 per week, I pay at the moment £35 per week towards it but with the changes to child care element I will be paying £55 towards it.

I get £6 per hour 40 hours per week.

My daughter is 8 so does not qualify for the help 3 year olds do, I pay full time costs even though she is at school as she has SN which require the childminder to go into school to admin meds.

So this change in chilcare costs would effect me hugely.

If she gets DLA that and the increased child tax credits will make you much better off than other parents, if the child dosnt have care or mobility needs I cant see why you need a childminder full time.

meluvnext

she needs a childminder full time as her school will not administer her medication and as I am working I am unble to do this so my onlt option is a childminderm she does not get DLA as her needs are fine if she is on medication, I have tried applying she requires 3 lots of medication 4 times a day however this is not enough to claim dla.

If however I refused the consultants advice and stopped her medication her care needs would then be enough to claim it.

Believe me I do need a childminder full time else I would be sacrificing lunch breaks for half an hour to go into school to administer te meds myself, which would be impossible as the distance is to great.

loopsntroops

I am worried about the decrease too so can sympathise. If it wasn't for tax credits helping with my child care costs I would be left paying over 1K worth of monthly bills on a monthly wage of just over £300.00 pounds.

The option of not working and just staying at home to look after my son doesnt quite have appeal to me..I don't like the idea of ending up homeless..which I would be when I couldn't pay my mortgage as I have no wages coming in each month!!

It's a shame that the reality is that most people can afford to have children..me being one of them. I am greatful beyond words for the help I get with childcare costs as this has allowed me to work and pay my bills and have a child.