Working Tax Credit, Childcare vouchers and low wage?

clearingout

essentially, then, that's for me going out and working? and then they add childcare to that 'cos obviously I couldn't work without the childcare support?

Many thanks for your help. It has helped me get a few things clear in my head about what's going to need to happen with my budgets. It will be tight but we can manage it.

merlin68

So by going to work, your costing the government £16,000. Doesn't make sense to me. Your making more in tax credits than you are by working.

dseventy

Have you gone to the CSA about contributions from the father?

D70

zagfles

merlin68 wrote: »

So by going to work, your costing the government £16,000. Doesn't make sense to me. Your making more in tax credits than you are by working.

Nope. If she wasn't working the CTC would be paid anyway, so it's about £8k extra in tax credits through working.

Also she'll be paying tax & NI, about £2.5k.

Plus if she wasn't working she'd get IS, about £3k, plus CTB and maybe HB or SMI. Plus free school meals.

And of course the idea seems to be to build a career in teaching so in the long run she's definitely saving the taxpayer money.

clearingout

yes, CSA are dealing with my ex. Slowly. Very slowly.

I resent the comment about being better off not working. I have a masters degree and am looking to teach foreign languages at secondary level - a shortage area. As a country, can we afford to have people like me not working just because we suffer a relationship breakdown and we're left with a ton of childcare to contend with? The salary is also a training salary and will only last a year - it will up considerably once qualified. The alternative is to go back to university for a year and have fees to pay and student loans - which will need paying back. This way, I get to support my children which is more than my huge salaried ex is doing, isn't it?! Jeez....you can't win, can you?!

Tehya

clearingout wrote: »

yes, CSA are dealing with my ex. Slowly. Very slowly.

I resent the comment about being better off not working. I have a masters degree and am looking to teach foreign languages at secondary level - a shortage area. As a country, can we afford to have people like me not working just because we suffer a relationship breakdown and we're left with a ton of childcare to contend with? The salary is also a training salary and will only last a year - it will up considerably once qualified. The alternative is to go back to university for a year and have fees to pay and student loans - which will need paying back. This way, I get to support my children which is more than my huge salaried ex is doing, isn't it?! Jeez....you can't win, can you?!

Go for it. Some of the best teachers I've worked with are those that did the GTP as they are actualyy doing the job for a year before qualifying.