Student and child tax credit help pls

brians_daughter

Hi all, looking for advice- been to hmrc site and spoke to 2 advisors and still no further on (conflicting advice and the online calc doesn't allow for students) so hoping someone here can help.

I am a student ft at Uni with children. I have never claimed tc as I have been lucky enough to survive on my student loan and part time income. My ex pays the mortgage on our jointly owned home (we cant afford to sell in current climate we wouldnt break even so for the time being the children and i are here and ex is at his mothers- i hope if the market picks up i will be in a position to buy him out after i graduate) rather than handing over cash for child support so I have never needed to claim tc.

However, I no longer have a job (company closed) and trying to find a job ATM that will fit in with Uni and childcare is seeming impossible. I have the promise of a flex job come the new year but will continue searching in the meantime.

So the time has come to explore other avenues for the next few months.

Basically I get my student loan parents living allowance, child grant and child benefit. What does hmrc include in their tc qualification? I don't want to apply until I full understand what us and isn't included- I have read far too many horror stories on here to n
Put my faith in hmrc. Also, come jan (if not sooner)when I start work again can I simply ask for my claim to end at that point? I realise I will still be "entitled" to tc but for me (no offence to anyone meant) I would rather get by on my own merit than claim tc

[Deleted User]

why isnt the absent father paying towards the upkeep of the children?

Dave101t

why do a ft course when you have kids and no backup (partner)?

slkh

You will be entitled to child tax credits and if you find employment of 16 hour's or more a week you will also be entitled to working tax credit's and child care assistance, however, I think you can get child care help from the university if you are a full time student with children.

yummymummy79

I've been a FT student for the last 4 years, I have a nearly 7 year old son who lives half a week with me and half with his dad.

I've claimed CTC throughout all of this time with no issues. I found that most of the money I got HMRC didn't include in their figures (I did check with them at the start and have had 3 renewals since then). As far as I can remember at the start I just applied and listed all of the income I received, and they seemed to disregard the majority of it which wasn't relevant.

This also qualified me for free school meals and prescriptions which was very useful.

HTH

Oldernotwiser

Don't you receive the Special Support Grant and university bursary?

brians_daughter

woodbine wrote: »

why isnt the absent father paying towards the upkeep of the children?

Hi there, if you read my post you will see that he is. Our mortgage is a 10 year mortgage with massive tie in penalties if we change prior to Dec 2012. So my ex pays the 1100 a month mortgage (joint) instead of actual maintenance, he would be liable for 420 a month via Csa so in effect is paying more than ge should by covering my 1/2 of the repayments thus allowing the children and I to stay here

brians_daughter

Dave101t wrote: »

why do a ft course when you have kids and no backup (partner)?

Why should I not? I have managed for the past 18 years to raise a family with no assistance (minus child benefit) I got made redundant and decided to retrain.... Can't see what's wrong in that?

TaxCreditHelp

Student Loan payments, Parents Living Allowance, Child Grant, and Child Benefit are not classed as taxable income for Tax Credit purposes and you will be eligible for Child Tax Credit, but not for any support for Childcare costs.

brians_daughter

Oldernotwiser wrote: »

Don't you receive the Special Support Grant and university bursary?

Hi thanks for the reply.
No, well not up to now. I didn't apply for the special support grant as I have managed to keep us afloat without it due to working all the holidays and 25hrs a week -until now that is. I may need to apply for the coming year if I don't secure employment

Re bursary it's 324 (or thereabouts) per year - I forgot to mention that.

brians_daughter

TaxCreditHelp wrote: »

Student Loan payments, Parents Living Allowance, Child Grant, and Child Benefit are not classed as taxable income for Tax Credit purposes and you will be eligible for Child Tax Credit, but not for any support for Childcare costs.

Fab- just the info I was looking for thanks so much !!