Childcare costs question

Burnley_Lad

My wife and I received some child tax credits at the start of this financial year (2013/2014), as our daughter was at nursery and our child care costs were quite high, and our income quite low.

When our daughter left nursery at the beginning of September 2013 and started school the following week, we advised HMRC that our childcare costs would come down, as we only required her to be in a pre-school breakfast club each morning, which is a lot cheaper than what we were paying for nursery. The result of this is that the money we received in child tax credits stopped.

I have used the online calculator to see if we would receive any child tax credits based on our current income and current expenditure on child care, and the result was that we would receive £17.62 for the period 19th March 2014 (today) to 5th April 2014 (end of the 2013/2014 financial year). This would suggest that as we received child tax credits at the start of 2013/2014 to cover for some of the nursery costs, we should have still been eligible for some child tax credits to cover some of the pre-school breakfast club costs?

Am I able to retrospectively try to claim for the period I feel we should have still receive some child tax credits, and when can we submit a claim for 2014/2015 to see if we receive any child tax credits for next year?

Icequeen99

Burnley_Lad wrote: »

My wife and I received some child tax credits at the start of this financial year (2013/2014), as our daughter was at nursery and our child care costs were quite high, and our income quite low.

When our daughter left nursery at the beginning of September 2013 and started school the following week, we advised HMRC that our childcare costs would come down, as we only required her to be in a pre-school breakfast club each morning, which is a lot cheaper than what we were paying for nursery. The result of this is that the money we received in child tax credits stopped.

I have used the online calculator to see if we would receive any child tax credits based on our current income and current expenditure on child care, and the result was that we would receive £17.62 for the period 19th March 2014 (today) to 5th April 2014 (end of the 2013/2014 financial year). This would suggest that as we received child tax credits at the start of 2013/2014 to cover for some of the nursery costs, we should have still been eligible for some child tax credits to cover some of the pre-school breakfast club costs?

Am I able to retrospectively try to claim for the period I feel we should have still receive some child tax credits, and when can we submit a claim for 2014/2015 to see if we receive any child tax credits for next year?

I suspect what happened is when you phoned to tell them your costs had changed they recalculated your entitlement based on your new childcare costs and found that you had already received your whole year's entitlement at that point so made no further payments (possible if there was a small overpayment).

So you are unlikely to be owed any back unless there has been a large income fall.

Check your last award notice, if they have the new childcare costs recorded correctly and you have had no other changes you should still see an entitlement figure for the whole year, before it went on to tell you what further payments you will get.

IQ

Burnley_Lad

thank you for your reply. Good point, I hadn't considered that - that's probably what has happened.

I'm not at home at the moment, so can't check the paperwork, but I certainly will do when I get the chance.

If it looks like we would qualify to receive something for the 2014/2015 financial year, when can we put a claim in?

teaandcakeordeath

Hi,
Sorry to thread crash- but it seemed like you may know! Do any of you helpful people know if the tax credits calculator on the hmrc website quotes possible weekly payments or if the possible payment shown is monthly/ annual. Had a look on the unhelpful 'help' section on their website and couldn't find anything.

I'm expecting my first in September and though it's a while off I'm looking at the finances of working and childcare so any insight would be appreciated! If it helps the award quoted is based on my wage (22.5k approx, no other incomings and childcare of £100 a week) as OH is currently unemployed and is quoted at £67.29 from 19/03/14 to 05/04/14. I've also done an alternate scenario where OH works 16 hours pw earning 5.5k pa in addition to my wage and the figure for the same dates was £135.59 for the same dates. Doesn't seem worth applying for if it is annual!

Sorry to bother you all, neither of us have ever been entitled to benefits (OH was self-employed before business failed) so this is a new and overly complicated learning curve!

Also are they paid directly to the nursery/ childminder or to you?

Thanks

jenemis

Hi Hun, that figure is basically what you are entitled to between now and 5th April so just over 2 weeks. Which means in theory you would receive just under half of that figure per week. Hope that helps x

teaandcakeordeath

Bloody baby brain! Thanks! I even wrote those dates in the question I asked! Sorry. Totally thick and overwhelmed at the moment! thank you both. Is this independant of child benefit? I think it is but just want to double check really. It's all so new to the pair of us!

teaandcakeordeath

Thanks for your help.