Split Parents and Working Family Tax Entitlements

strawberri_shortcake

I don't understand why, in this country, if two parents share equal custody of their children only ONE can claim Working Family Tax and only ONE can be named "primary carer". That aside:-

If one parent is claiming Working Family Tax but NOT the childcare element, can the other parent claim the childcare element?

Thanks so much in advance for any advice.

nannytone_2

no.
the now lobe parent that gets the tax credits would be the one paying for childcare.

strawberri_shortcake

How frustrating. She refuses to arrange childcare and insists that the children need to be collected from school, even though this interferes with the other parents work patter and he simply can't do it without losing his job. He could do it, however, from an after school club.

princessdon

A child has 1 legal home address. That is the address used.

There is nothing stopping people coming to a private arragement once paid though.

princessdon

Just read - I don't think they are going to be agreeable to a private arrangement.

How much is the Out Of Schools? Can he not pay this if easier?

Also if the Ex as primary carer isn't working then childcare can't be claimed.

FBaby

What is the underlying issue:
- she doesn't want shared care so this is her way to make sure it fails but without taking responsibility for the failure?
- she doesn't want her child to go to the after school club?
- she isn't entitled to the childcare element of WTC (because she/she and her partner earn too much to be entitled?
- You haven't agreed to contribute the 30% reminder (you only get funding up to 70% I believe)

Beyond these reasons, I don't understand why she would make it difficult for you.

strawberri_shortcake

He sees his children 50% of the time (though he wishes he could still be with them 100%). He pays maintenance. He buys uniform/school trips/school dinners/takes them out constantly. He is entitled to no working family tax. She refuses to allow him to claim child benefit for any of them. She refuses to arrange after school care, which she could claim most of the money back for and he would make up the shortfall. At the same time she is now insisting he leaves his 8.30-5.00 to collect them at 3.20. If he could afford the after school care, he would.

Thanks for all the input everyone.

strawberri_shortcake

It is simply to make things difficult, though we are at an absolute loss as to why. Her mum currently collects the children from school though she is now saying that she is going to stop this on his three school-nights, though she also won't use the Childcare Element - for which she is fully entitled to - to arrange childcare. Ditto the school holidays.

She DEFINITELY wants shared care. Even during her 50% of the shared time they spend lots of this time with her Mum. No judgement here - that's just fact.

The kids go to breakfast club and love it! So I don't think she has any objection to that.

She is entitled to the childcare element of WTC.

He is more than happy to make up any remainder.

nannytone_2

he just needs to tell her he cant as he is at work!

if no one collects the kids they will contact HER ( as the primary carer) and she will need to leave work to collect them.

as long as he jumps when she tells him to, things will only get worse

BigAunty

strawberri_shortcake wrote: »

I don't understand why, in this country, if two parents share equal custody of their children only ONE can claim Working Family Tax and only ONE can be named "primary carer". ...

Probably because the govt is not willing to micromanage the finances and care of children involved in a parental relationship breakdown and neither can the systems cope with every degree between 0 and 100% of shared costs/care. There are some areas of family matters that are simply down to negotiation and are to be resolved at the personal level.

strawberri_shortcake

I understand what you are saying, and others have said this to him. He can't bear the thought of them feeling like he has "abandoned" them, though. They are his world and he would do anything for them. I just feel so sorry for him and wish that we had the same rules here as in certain states of the USA where 50/50 custody means just that - as opposed to all this "primary carer" nonsense.