Desperately Need Tax Credits Help

Inked_princess

Hi
This is my first post here as various internet searches have led me here and although I haven't found an answer yet I have come across many knowledgable people who I hope can help.

Our family situation; married,live together, 2 children (6&3) one at school one due to start 15 hours free nursery.

I work full time 9-5 earn £17k
Husband is a full time nursing student - he receives £500 monthly bursary and is not allowed to claim student loans as that is how it is for NHS bursary students in Scotland
He works 2 zero hour contracts and can work anything from 4-40 hours a week

Until April 2013 he worked 25 hours a week but was made redundant in the stress of his redundancy and our moving house I didn't realise we hadn't informed Tax Credits about the change in circumstances - I didn't notice at the August renewal as at that point they reduced our tax credits as I had sent them incorrect paperwork regarding childcare so I was busy sorting that out.

Anyway the long and the short of it is it has now come to light at this renewal - how much trouble will we be in for not notifying them?
As hubby is a full time student with zero
Hour contracts will we now lose our childcare tax credits.
Does anyone know what help with childcare. Hubby is a full time nursing student so we need full time childcare - all I can find on SAAS site is info about a £1600 dependents grant - this wouldn't cover 2 months of childcare!!

I can't sleep for the stress this is causing and just feel we are being punished for making the effort to get on in life!!

Icequeen99

Your husband needs to be working at least 16 hours to get childcare costs in tax credits. So if he has not been hitting 16 you are likely to have an overpayment. The only exception would be if your husband had a disability.

I can't answer the question of what child are support is available from the student bursary side unfortunately.

IQ

Inked_princess

Icequeen99 wrote: »

Your husband needs to be working at least 16 hours to get childcare costs in tax credits. So if he has not been hitting 16 you are likely to have an overpayment. The only exception would be if your husband had a disability.

I can't answer the question of what child are support is available from the student bursary side unfortunately.

IQ

Thank you.
I have only found out in the last few days about is both needing to do 16 hours for childcare when I've been trawling Internet forums. I don't remember any info from HMRC about it and assumed that as we met the 24 hours a week as a couple and one of is doing 16 we met the criteria.
Does it have to be 16 hours every week or will they take an average over the year?
There is definitely going to be an overpayment on last year I just hope they'll not try an deduct too much from this years claim!!

Icequeen99

Inked_princess wrote: »

Thank you.
I have only found out in the last few days about is both needing to do 16 hours for childcare when I've been trawling Internet forums. I don't remember any info from HMRC about it and assumed that as we met the 24 hours a week as a couple and one of is doing 16 we met the criteria.
Does it have to be 16 hours every week or will they take an average over the year?
There is definitely going to be an overpayment on last year I just hope they'll not try an deduct too much from this years claim!!

No, you can't average it unfortunately. It is your 'normal' working hours, if you are working 16+ every week and then drop down for 4 weeks then they would be ok with that but any longer and you would need to report it as a drop in hours.

IQ

Inked_princess

blondebubbles wrote: »

Student nurses, like other students, are not considered to be in qualifying remunerative work even though their studies may involve practical experience on the wards. So no matter how many hours he works in his student nursing, he wouldn't qualify for childcare help.

Does he have other work over and above his student nursing?

Yes he works two jobs on top of studying/ward placements - but they are zero hour contracts so hours are anything from 4-40 per week - during placements he has to do shifts so it's not possible to do many hours.

It's looking like he's going to have to give up his course. I just don't understand how we can not qualify for help with childcare - or do they expect him to take the kids to uni with him!!

Pont

If you're working 9 - 5 (assuming over 30 hours per week) and OH is on an NHS bursary wouldn't you still be able to submit a claim? I would have thought it would be your income (rather than OH's) at play here. As for OH's zero hour shifts - you would add the average over the year to your calculations. Put your full and accurate details into entitledto.com and see what it comes up with.

Icequeen99

Pont wrote: »

If you're working 9 - 5 (assuming over 30 hours per week) and OH is on an NHS bursary wouldn't you still be able to submit a claim? I would have thought it would be your income (rather than OH's) at play here. As for OH's zero hour shifts - you would add the average over the year to your calculations. Put your full and accurate details into entitledto.com and see what it comes up with.

That's not correct. They can claim WTC and CTC but not support with childcare. You can't average his hours.

IQ

Pont

Icequeen99 wrote: »

That's not correct. They can claim WTC and CTC but not support with childcare. You can't average his hours.

IQ

Stand corrected :-/