Working Tax Credit: no longer available for single people?

Voyager2002

A question: are there any circumstances under which someone without dependants will still be eligible for WTC?

I understand that in order to be eligible, it is now necessary to work for at least 24 hours each week. And it appears that even 24 times the national minimum wage gives earnings above the threshold for WTC. Or have I misunderstood something?

Dunroamin

Voyager2002 wrote: »

A question: are there any circumstances under which someone without dependants will still be eligible for WTC?

I understand that in order to be eligible, it is now necessary to work for at least 24 hours each week. And it appears that even 24 times the national minimum wage gives earnings above the threshold for WTC. Or have I misunderstood something?

Single people have to work for 30 hours to be eligible for WTC.

BigAunty

24 hours is the new threshold for couples with children (used to be 16 but changed last month).

Icequeen99

Dunroamin wrote: »

Single people have to work for 30 hours to be eligible for WTC.

Not all single people.

If you qualify for the disability element of WTC or are aged 60 or over you qualify at 16 hours.

The 24 hours is for couples with children only (and not all couples with children there are exceptions)

Then 30 hours is you don't fit in any of the other categories.

IQ

zagfles

The income threshold for WTC for a single person is £13,000 (or more if disabilities).

30 hours at NMW is £9484. So there is still scope.

Also due to the disregard, people who've been out of work/studying etc could be eligible on much higher incomes for their first year in work.

paddedjohn

why does a single person have to work 30 hrs to qualify but a couple with a child only have to work 24 hrs between them? seems very unfair to me.

earthbound_misfit

paddedjohn wrote: »

why does a single person have to work 30 hrs to qualify but a couple with a child only have to work 24 hrs between them? seems very unfair to me.

I suppose becaue they're supporting more people?

Tax credits are just an elastoplast on the crisis of unliveably low wages though...

paddedjohn

earthbound_misfit wrote: »

I suppose becaue they're supporting more people?

Tax credits are just an elastoplast on the crisis of unliveably low wages though...

If thats the case they should be working more hours. I can just about understand 16 hrs for a single parent and 30 hrs for a single person with no kids but surely a combination of the 2 (a couple with kids) should do at least 30hrs and maybe even 46 hrs like 2 single people.

Dunroamin

earthbound_misfit wrote: »

I suppose becaue they're supporting more people?

.

But they're not supporting anyone of they're only working for 24 hours!

seven-day-weekend

I too think couples with children should have to work the equivalent of one full-time job (35 hours) betweeen them before they are eligible for tax credits. Children are a moneyspinner these days.

MissMoneypenny

seven-day-weekend wrote: »

I too think couples with children should have to work the equivalent of one full-time job (35 hours) betweeen them before they are eligible for tax credits. Children are a moneyspinner these days.

It's all changing under Universal Credit which start next year. The couples with children increase from 16 per week to 24 hours per week this year, is just the start. If they can claim under UC (capital limits are coming in) then one of those parents will have to work 35 hours and the other parent might have to work too, depending on the age of the youngest child (no limit to the number of children, yet) and how much the full time working parent earns..

It's all part of the being fairer to tax payers.