Can my child do paid work without affecting tax credits or Child Benefit?

Parklife63

Always a great help on here but stuck again.

I have now put in a single person working tax credits claim and also claim for my 19 year old stepson who is in further education, so I qualify for child tax credits as well. I am also entitled to Child benefit.

My question is:
Can he do any paid work without affecting the benefits?
It does not ask on the tax credits calculator if the child does any work and I can find no reference about child benefit so I am assuming he can work whilst he is still in education.

Are my assumptions right or wrong? Can anyone advise please.

HappyMJ

Yes he can do some work mornings, evenings and weekends fitting around his school hours that's not a problem and won't affect your claim for benefits covering his care.

Children don't sign the form and whatever he earns is his and for his own privacy he doesn't need to tell you what he earns at all.

Parklife63

Many thanks as always. This has brightened both our days up after what we have been through. Quick replies and just the answers we needed. Thank you. x

jetty

Hi, sorry for hijacking your thread, i had one similar but can't find it!

Can anyone tell me if we have to notify Child Benefit, child tax credit or anyone else that the child is working and about hours, pay etc, we are also on partial ESA as i work part time, do we need to contact them too?

Thanks in advance and sorry again OP

jetty

Just to add, housing benefit as well!!

Anyone? :think:

HappyMJ

jetty wrote: »

Hi, sorry for hijacking your thread, i had one similar but can't find it!

Can anyone tell me if we have to notify Child Benefit, child tax credit or anyone else that the child is working and about hours, pay etc, we are also on partial ESA as i work part time, do we need to contact them too?

Thanks in advance and sorry again OP

jetty wrote: »

Just to add, housing benefit as well!!

Anyone? :think:

No no-one needed to be notified. Whilst in non advanced full time education the child can earn any amount of money. It will not affect any benefit you have whatsoever.

Whatever your child earns can be kept by them. They don't need to tell you what they earn and you technically have no right to demand the answer.

jetty

Thank you for your reply It just seems strange to me as they ask if your children have savings over £2000 when you claim, yet they can earn what they want! :rotfl:

HappyMJ

jetty wrote: »

Thank you for your reply It just seems strange to me as they ask if your children have savings over £2000 when you claim, yet they can earn what they want! :rotfl:

That's because you gave it to them or hold it on their behalf and you should know how much you gave them. If they have savings of their own under their own control that you can't touch or even see the balance of you also have no right to ask and then it doesn't affect household capital and income calculations.

They can save up as much as they want from their own income from external work...but not from doing the household work and in an attempt to get around having too much capital yourself you give them let's say £5,000 for household work..that doesn't count.

jetty

I did read somewhere that if they are working over 24 hours a week paid, you have to inform the Child Tax credit team. My daughter will be doing more hours over the summer holidays, but it will reduce when she starts back in college in September, does this count? I just don't want to get into trouble and need to do everything right! Thank you for your help

HappyMJ

jetty wrote: »

I did read somewhere that if they are working over 24 hours a week paid, you have to inform the Child Tax credit team. My daughter will be doing more hours over the summer holidays, but it will reduce when she starts back in college in September, does this count? I just don't want to get into trouble and need to do everything right! Thank you for your help

No it does not count. You child can do as many hours as he/she can fit in. They must though be attending full time non advanced education. During the holidays many teenagers take full time work you do not need to declare that your child is working a full week at all to anyone.