Tax credits dropped from £500+ to £42 - help!

teabag29

i dont know where your getting your figures from but we receive 165 a week tax credits which is just over £8500 per year NOT OVER £10,000. Also as I previously mentioned I have 4 children to support not just 1

nottslass_2

teabag29 wrote: »

i dont know where your getting your figures from but we receive 165 a week tax credits which is just over £8500 per year NOT OVER £10,000. Also as I previously mentioned I have 4 children to support not just 1

Got my figures from TURN to US (based on 4 kids)- oh and I forgot to add you're also entitled to Housing and ct benefit on top.

teabag29

melly1980 wrote: »

If the boot was on the other foot you would not be happy if you had worked at a career all your life, studies, attended college on a night, took promotions and stressfull jobs and at the end of it you are barely better off than if youd have stayed on a **** wage and got it topped up for free.

Actually I have been studying for the past 7 years, scrimped and saved and worked ridiculous jobs to get by and support my family. I have done all of the above and I have a degree. I also have 20 grands worth of student fee's to pay off as a result. The thing is im not complaining about it as I still feel lucky that I have a decent life.

Just because a family are entitled to more tax credits than another family does not mean they are getting 'topped up for free' as you so put it, my husband works hard for what he earns 12 hour days 6 days a week and they pay him peanuts.

teabag29

nottslass wrote: »

Got my figures from TURN to US (based on 4 kids)- oh and I forgot to add you're also entitled to Housing and ct benefit on top.

I'm afraid your figures are very wrong in that case. I get £165 a week child tax credits and absolutely no help with housing and council tax, I wish I did i'd be laughing

cozza

god i wished i earnt a lot i am single person i was getting £50 a week tax credit my wages are low i get avrage £625 a month out of that i have to pay all my bills and most of my rent and council tax and the op think they on breadline i just manage to keep my head abovewater as my rent is £78.60 a week i have to pay £62 of my rent and my council tax is £69 a month which i had £500 a month from them even when my son was small i only got £93 a week tax cred and child tax ? i expect il get a few neg comments but ppl dont know when they better off

teabag29

cozza wrote: »

i expect il get a few neg comments but ppl dont know when they better off

Totally agree with you.

JC9297

I think the problem is when families have what most people would consider a good family income, but they also have children that require caring for. I personally think that if both parents working means you're not much better off after childcare costs are paid, then one parent should stay at home until the kids are at school. If you want to work for career reasons then you accept the financial hit for a few years. This is what used to happen but now people seem to think someone else should pay for their children to be looked after. I do not agree with the state paying for childcare so that parents can enjoy a higher standard of living.

anguk

teabag29 wrote: »

Just because a family are entitled to more tax credits than another family does not mean they are getting 'topped up for free' as you so put it, my husband works hard for what he earns 12 hour days 6 days a week and they pay him peanuts.

Unfortunately the reason your husband works 12 hour days 6 days a week for peanuts is because many employers now don't bother paying a decent wage as they know the state will top it up with tax credits. Unfortunately the phrase "a fair days work for a fair days pay" no longer seems to apply in most cases.

We've become a nation dependant on tax credits and now they're being reduced (because our economy is in such a state) people are struggling.

teabag29

skcollobcat10 wrote: »

I bet in this day and age you wouldn't have had 4 children if you actually had to go out and work and earn a living to support them.

Large families used to be a thing of the past what with the contraception improvements we have nowadays.

I feel that tax credits have only made the situation worse in this country because quite a lot of families have been encouraged to have more and more children to finance a lifestyle.

You talk like you know my position and you assume i wasnt working before i had children. My husband was in a very good job bringing in almost double he does now but the company went bust and he was forced to find work where he could. When I had my children our income was much higher and we lived more comfortabbly however nobody knows what the future will bring and i did not anticipate having to rely on tax credits. I have also got myself a degree whilst the children were young so i havent been sat on my backside.

StormyWeather_2

It's also worth bearing in mind that two working parents in a family means two sets of work related expenses. Travel, possibly dry cleaning for work clothes, possibly having to buy clothes/shoes specifically for work that aren't tax deductable.

A lot of the time it's pointless comparing two families incomes, tax credits etc. The details of their situations and living expenses could make a hefty difference to how much disposable cash they have after all bills and essentials have been paid for. e.g. The cost and availability of public transport varies considerably from region to region so for some it's viable to use for others a car (or second car) is essential. The children could end up(unavoidably) having to go to a school a bus ride away so there's another expense if the family aren't eligible for any discounts or passes.

teabag, why don't you/your OH get any WTC? I thought the cut off was quite high(£60k) for a couple and your OH works over 30 hours a week. Have they changed the rules for that too? :undecided