help working out tax/child tax credits

mummyjonno

Could someone take the time to help me out, I would really appreciate it feel like I'm banging my head against a wall here.

We've never applied for working tax credit or child tax credit before last week (paperworks been sent but not on their system yet)

My husband works 40 hours a week £32,000 pa before tax and NI

We have 2 children

My eldest gets DLA high rate

I get carers allowance too (however DLA and carers allowance began after the financial year ended so I had no income at all last year)

Could someone explain to me how I attempt to work out what a possible award we will get please. I've used 2 calculators both say different things and i can feel my brain cells dying everytime I attempt to do it.

Thanks in advance.

zagfles

mummyjonno wrote: »

Could someone take the time to help me out, I would really appreciate it feel like I'm banging my head against a wall here.

We've never applied for working tax credit or child tax credit before last week (paperworks been sent but not on their system yet)

My husband works 40 hours a week £32,000 pa before tax and NI

We have 2 children

My eldest gets DLA high rate

I get carers allowance too (however DLA and carers allowance began after the financial year ended so I had no income at all last year)

Could someone explain to me how I attempt to work out what a possible award we will get please. I've used 2 calculators both say different things and i can feel my brain cells dying everytime I attempt to do it.

Thanks in advance.

About £81pw. Try the entitledto calculator which should give the same answer. https://www.turn2us.entitledto.co.uk/entitlementcalculator.aspx

It'll be based on your income last year, assuming your income this year isn't more than £10,000 higher ie over £42k. Don't think your CA will push your income up that much! DLA is ignored.

It'll go down next year a bit due to the CA.

mummyjonno

Is that calculated with disability element as well as severe disability element.

Thank you for your help

FBaby

I don't get it, is this £81 a week purely due to the DLA, because that seems a very large amount for someone earning £32K and who has no childcare costs.

Considering the family will already get benefits in the form of DLA and CA, it seems astonishing that they would get an additional £81 a week on the basis of the disability. Does a child with a disability really cost that much more than a non disabled child (not taking into account the 'I would be working otherwise' as many mums do not work for other reasons so it can't be assumed the mother of a disabled child would certainly be working if the child wasn't disabled)?

mummyjonno

Yes children with disabilities do cost a fair bit more to raise. Lets see what does our money currently go on for him.

We have to fully stock the house of various kinds of food with different textures in case one day he decides what he ate yesterday he won't today. This is a normal child thing to happen however shouldn't be happening at the age of 5.

He has to have special locks and alarms so he can't get out and harm himself.

We have numerous trips to specialists every week resulting in large fuel amounts, parking, things to make him happy and attempt to be calm while we are there.

He needs special weighted blankets (change every few months those aren't cheap) as well as weighted lap pads (again we have one for school and one for home again not cheap)

His toys are expensive sensory toys - again not cheap and if he didn't have those he'd sit in a corner rocking or banging his head against the wall.

He has private medical because he hurts himself so often and so bad that the NHS care is simply not acceptable the list goes on.

He get's DLA because it's to attempt to help make his quality of life better. I get carers allowance because even if I didn't have a newborn I couldn't work. I get called into school daily to get him, help them I can't leave a job to do that. You can't go to work having slept less than 2 hours a night because he doesn't produce the hormone that make's him tired either.

The money he and I get is to make our lives of a better quality and as far as I am aware the child tax credit disability supplements are simply to top up that money and make our lives a little more easier.

zagfles

mummyjonno wrote: »

Is that calculated with disability element as well as severe disability element.

Thank you for your help

Yes. DLA HRC gets both.

mummyjonno

Thank you again! I think you've saved my brain for a massive melt down

zagfles

FBaby wrote: »

I don't get it, is this £81 a week purely due to the DLA, because that seems a very large amount for someone earning £32K and who has no childcare costs.

Considering the family will already get benefits in the form of DLA and CA, it seems astonishing that they would get an additional £81 a week on the basis of the disability. Does a child with a disability really cost that much more than a non disabled child (not taking into account the 'I would be working otherwise' as many mums do not work for other reasons so it can't be assumed the mother of a disabled child would certainly be working if the child wasn't disabled)?

The £81pw is basically the disability elements, a family with 2 kids on £32k would normally get close to nothing.

FBaby

I'm not having a go at you personally OP, I understand you are only claiming what you are entitled to, but I believe taking into account all benefits received purely on the basis of your child's disability, you are probably over £500 better off each month. It is hard to believe that this amounts to all the additional costs occured. Non disabled children also have toys, and some might be very expensive to depending on their interest.

As stated above, you might trully have been working despite a newborn if your child wasn't disabled, but that can't be assumed for every mum caring for a disabled child, yet, all would get the same amount.

To be totally honest, I suspect if I were in your shoes, I would probably claim just the same, so not personal, but I do feel that the benefit system seem to provide a lot for a certain group of people whilst very much forgetting others in need too.

princessdon

I could *probably* get DLA for my child.

But she doesn't cost me a penny (well she does but not for disability reasons, more her like of designer shops, piano lessons, dance shoes etc).

I can see why people are astounded at the rate - because not ALL children who receive DLA have a financial impact, maybe there should be a more tierred system?

nannytone_2

its more than £500 a month.

even if theres no mobility componant ...

high rate care x 4 .... £320 (approx)

tax credits £81 x 4 ...£324

Carers allowance £58 x 4......£232

so nearer £900 every 4 weeks.
so approx £11.000 plus on top of a 32k wage.

sorry OP, nothing personal against you. I'm sure your life is far from easy.

but i dont see that throwing these kinds of sums as you really makes it that musch easier.
seems extortionate!