Welfare reform N.I.

gayleygoo

While our politicians are disagreeing over welfare reform, I can't find much information about it. I want to be prepared for the possibility of having our tax credits taken away, I will probably have to find a job.

OH earns £22k, but that could be less once the pension/salary sacrifice takes effect in his work. Does anyone know how much this would be affected if welfare reform were to come in? If we didn't get tax credits at all, I don't know how we'd manage, we're on a tight budget as it is, as I'm a SAHM to our 3 children. Thanks in advance for any info

wiltsguy_2

no one knows for sure what the cuts will be, you will have to wait until the budget is announced next week. Talks about the threshold for benefits being dropped from 26k to 23k, so i would imagine that you will lose some tax credits, but see what the budget brings...

TELLIT01

Until after the budget nobody knows what will or will not change, or by how much any benefit will change. Speculation is pointless, as is worrying about it until/unless there is something to worry about.

xylophone

the pension/salary sacrifice takes effect in his work.

Either of these would reduce his adjusted net income so he could be entitled to a higher (rather than lower) amount?

sportsarb

gayleygoo wrote: »

While our politicians are disagreeing over welfare reform, I can't find much information about it. I want to be prepared for the possibility of having our tax credits taken away, I will probably have to find a job.

OH earns £22k, but that could be less once the pension/salary sacrifice takes effect in his work. Does anyone know how much this would be affected if welfare reform were to come in? If we didn't get tax credits at all, I don't know how we'd manage, we're on a tight budget as it is, as I'm a SAHM to our 3 children. Thanks in advance for any info

Its hard to say what will happen over here. They were talking of some insane top up system paid for by the executive budget but I think that was more for people losing out, potentially, if DLA was replaced by PIP and the Contribution element of ESA was scrapped for those not in the SG who have been on for more than a year.

Also, although the executive has control over welfare, I don't think this includes Tax Credits. I think that is all controlled from Westminster so I am guessing that that can be imposed on people here.

It's as clear as mud.

cifpower

The budget process at Stormont has been farcical. NI has not enacted welfare reforms which have taken place in all other parts of the UK. Some parties in NI plead "special dispensation" because of the troubles etc. It is more to do with NI not being able to stand on its own two feet and politicians not wanting to affect the benefits received by their electors. So they blame "the Tories" and "Westminster".

The Treasury has started fining Stormont because of their failure to grasp the nettle of welfare reform. So there is this irony that MLAs vote against welfare reform which causes budgets to be cut further to pay this fine.

Public service at its finest.