Why aren't we entitled to Working Tax Credits?

hannah9000

I'm 5 months pregnant, and after doing a benefits calculator to see what we're entitled to once I'm on maternity leave, I thought I'd do one for now as well as my hours at work have been reduced.
I did the direct.gov calculator which said we'd be entitled to £89.18 a week WTC - however when I did the turn2us calculator it said we were entitled to nothing. I'm confused. A brief rundown on our earnings:

I work 14 hours a week earning approx £90pw after tax and NI.

My partner is a farmer and works 37 hours a week earning a set wage of £210pw after tax and NI.

Currently we have no dependants (this will change in May when the baby is born)

Our joint income comes in at under £17k (after tax deductions), so how are we not entitled to any WTC?!

mummyroysof3

i thought to get WTC you had to earn under 17k ish before tax..we earn just under 16k have 3 children and get a very small amount

Icequeen99

Tax credits are based on gross income, before tax and NI are deducted.

Also, they are generally based on previous year income. So it depends on how you enter the figures in the calculators.

IQ

hannah9000

If that is the case, that'll be why! As before tax our joint income is around £19.5k...however I read somewhere that the WTC joint income figure is dropping from £48k to £26k in which case we still earn well under that amount?

MrsManda

Are you over 25yrs old?
If you are in a couple earning over £17,000 without children or a disability you won't be entitled to WTC. The income level goes up when you have dependents so you should be able to recieve WTC once you have your child providing you meet the criteria.
The current entitlement tables can be found here:

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/MoneyTaxAndBenefits/TaxCredits/peoplewhohelpothers/Entitlementtablesfortaxcredits/index.htm

The maximum income limit is changing to £26,000 in April for couples with one child

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/MoneyTaxAndBenefits/TaxCredits/DG_194914

dave030445

hannah9000 wrote: »

I'm 5 months pregnant, and after doing a benefits calculator to see what we're entitled to once I'm on maternity leave, I thought I'd do one for now as well as my hours at work have been reduced.
I did the direct.gov calculator which said we'd be entitled to £89.18 a week WTC - however when I did the turn2us calculator it said we were entitled to nothing. I'm confused. A brief rundown on our earnings:

I work 14 hours a week earning approx £90pw after tax and NI.

My partner is a farmer and works 37 hours a week earning a set wage of £210pw after tax and NI.

Currently we have no dependants (this will change in May when the baby is born)

Our joint income comes in at under £17k (after tax deductions), so how are we not entitled to any WTC?!

Ive had this before why do 2 benefits calculator come up with differant things that no good to man or beast.

Caz3121

dave030445 wrote: »

Ive had this before why do 2 benefits calculator come up with differant things that no good to man or beast.

the direct.gov calculator shows the amount due from today (they day you enter the details) to the end of the tax year
OP possibly entered net into direct.gov and net into entitledto (as it gave the correct answer)
on £17k gross the payment would be £325 for the whole year (£6.25 per week) - so the £89 would have been showing the total for the remaining 14 weeks
on £19.5k it is zero
http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/taxcredits/people-advise-others/entitlement-tables/work-no-child.htm

melly1980

hannah9000 wrote: »

If that is the case, that'll be why! As before tax our joint income is around £19.5k...however I read somewhere that the WTC joint income figure is dropping from £48k to £26k in which case we still earn well under that amount?

there is a lot of sloppy reporting on the subject where boundaries are concerned and as a result people think that there is a cut off point.

The reality is that they are means tested benefits driven largely by how many kids you have. If you have 5 kids you could get some form of tax credits even if you were earning 45 - 50K per year. Its not a good plan mind because contrary to popular belief kids cost a lot of money and you wont profit from them

kingfisherblue

hannah9000 wrote: »

If that is the case, that'll be why! As before tax our joint income is around £19.5k...however I read somewhere that the WTC joint income figure is dropping from £48k to £26k in which case we still earn well under that amount?

Is that child tax credit, not working tax credit?

hannah9000

Its not a good plan mind because contrary to popular belief kids cost a lot of money and you wont profit from them

Already painfully aware of this - it costs us £6k to even have a child (IVF)!!
Thanks everyone, it's a bit clearer now in my poor little head....!