what can I claim?

Pedent

newcook wrote: »

At the moment I earn £18000 and work 40 hours – Im hoping that when I return from maternity leave that I will be able to go part-time. no pension contributions etc. OH earns roughly about the same with no contributions

Your family income is too high for you to be entitled to Working Tax Credit, but when your child is born you might get some Child Tax Credit, especially if you incur childcare costs.

Your maximum entitlement without childcare costs would be:
£545 Family element
£2,690 Child element
= £3,235 maximum entitlement

You lose 41p of that for every £1 of income over £15,860. That means that to receive CTC, without childcare costs, your household income would need to be below £23,750.

If you each work 16 hours+, then your maximum entitlement is increased by 70% of your childcare costs (with approved providers) up to a cost of £175/week (70% of which is £122.50). I think that means that in theory you could earn up to ~£39,300 and still get some help.

So if you go part-time as planned, leading to a fall in income, but continue to work 16 hours+, so incur childcare costs, then you could get some useful support, by my reckoning.

Do bear in mind that when you declare your income, you can deduct £100 for every week spent on SMP, which in your case will be ~£2600.

Oh, and you'll also get £1,055 in child benefit, which doesn't require any complicated calculations in your case.

shedboy94

Pedent wrote: »

Do bear in mind that when you declare your income, you can deduct £100 for every week spent on SMP, which in your case will be ~£2600.

Assuming the 26 weeks all fall within the same tax year.......