Working Tax Credit: no longer available for single people?

DannyboyMidlands

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.

Unfair to single people? Are you having a laugh?

The only unfairness is to people who work full time, pay their own way and don't sponge off others.

Unbelievable.

paulmapp8306

The system aside, under current rules at least ONe parent has to work at least 24 hours. Its not combined - you cant both work 12 hours and qualify.

Ultimately I dont see it matters how many hours are required for people with children because if you dont meet the requirement for WTC you get Child Tax Credits instead. Daft system at present.

mealone

paulmapp8306 wrote: »

The system aside, under current rules at least ONe parent has to work at least 24 hours. Its not combined - you cant both work 12 hours and qualify.

Ultimately I dont see it matters how many hours are required for people with children because if you dont meet the requirement for WTC you get Child Tax Credits instead. Daft system at present.

Sorry but you're wrong, one parent has to work at least 16 hours, not 24 hours., the other parent can make up the other 8 hours.

zagfles

MissMoneypenny wrote: »

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.

That's not how it will work at all. Nobody will have to work to claim UC.

But there will be an earned income threshold, which will be set depending on circumstances, and if the familiy earns less they will either have to seek more work (not actually work like WTC, but seek work), or if they don't want to, they will be able to claim UC but paid based on an income of their threshold rather than their actual income.

MissMoneypenny

zagfles wrote: »

That's not how it will work at all. Nobody will have to work to claim UC.

But the days of the parents who don't want to work hard to support their children and just fill in a form once a year and then getting their welfare (tax credits) in their bank account, are over.

If they don't earn the minimim they are told to earn by the government, then they will have conditions to fulfill if they want to be given Universal Credit.

Broke_n_Broken

Do you remember the days when if you wanted more money you worked more hours or got a better paying job?
What's with these thresholds that someone just below a magical, mystical barrier is penalised, but on or just over the barrier & richly rewarded? They should do away with WTC.
Call me what you like, because I don't work, but when I did, I didn't qualify for WTC due to my age.
The gas board, council tax, supermarkets etc didn't ask me how old I was & reduce their prices accordingly & I still made do!

Sorry for the rant.
To keep this on topic, is age still a factor? What is/are the magical, mystical age barrier/s?

Mumto3cheekymonkeys

I am utterly confused by this thread. I thought that a family and ill use mine for example (Partner works 41 hours pw I work 21 Hours per week we have 3 children 5,4 and 1) I thought that to get WTC one person has to be working full time (30 hr pw?) and the other person has to work atleast 24 hours pw? or is this just for the childcare element? my mind is boggled!

BigAunty

Mumto3cheekymonkeys wrote: »

I am utterly confused by this thread. I thought that a family and ill use mine for example (Partner works 41 hours pw I work 21 Hours per week we have 3 children 5,4 and 1) I thought that to get WTC one person has to be working full time (30 hr pw?) and the other person has to work atleast 24 hours pw? or is this just for the childcare element? my mind is boggled!

No, a couple with children merely have to work 24 hours between them (in total) to qualify for Working Tax Credits (with one working at least 16 of them). Until recently it used to be just 16 hours but was increased in this new tax year. 16 hours per week remains the threshold for lone parents.

A single person over the age of 25 must work 30 to qualify for WTC.