PIP and tax credits.

leanne1910

Hi everyone,

I currently don't work but my partner works 37 hours so we don't qualify for working tax credit but receive child tax credit for our 2 children.
This week I was awarded the enhanced daily rate of PIP so I checked the HMRC website to see how I inform them of this and if it will make any changes to our current child tax credit.
According to the site,unless I have read wrong, due to me now receiving enhanced rate pip we should now get extra tax credits as long as my partner works over 16 hours but as we don't qualify for working tax credit I'm not sure if we qualify for the extra disability payment.
I contacted the tax credit helpline and the person I spoke to had no idea what PIP was and just told me (after googling) that because PIP isn't a means tested benefit I didn't need to inform them that I was in receipt of PIP,no mention of any premiums.
The whole tax credit thing is so complicated and with PIP being so new,I've never had DLA so it's all new to me too.So any clever folks out there that can advise me on this will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks all in advance.

Leanne xx

leanne1910

Hiya and thanks for your quick reply,
No I don't have childcare for the kiddies.
I'll give HMRC another call,I'm really hopeless on the phone though but I have an appt with the CAB in the morn so if I get no luck I'll ask them if they would mind sorting it out.
Thanks again xx

dibdabable

First off why don't you and your husband qualify for WTC given your husbands hours, does he earn too much?
Also to qualify for the premium or certainly as far as DLA was concerned, I think it's you that needs to be in receipt of WTC to then qualify for the premium. The whole point is, is that your disability makes it difficult for you to get and maintain a job. See here;

http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/taxcredits/start/who-qualifies/workingtaxcredit/disability.htm

Hope that helps.

Icequeen99

dibdabable wrote: »

First off why don't you and your husband qualify for WTC given your husbands hours, does he earn too much?
Also to qualify for the premium or certainly as far as DLA was concerned, I think it's you that needs to be in receipt of WTC to then qualify for the premium. The whole point is, is that your disability makes it difficult for you to get and maintain a job. See here;

http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/taxcredits/start/who-qualifies/workingtaxcredit/disability.htm

Hope that helps.

The worker has to be the person with the disability for the disability element but not for the severe disability element as blonde bubbles says.

However, even if the SDE is added to the claim, it might not actually make any difference if the OP's husband's income is high.

IQ