*Change of plan - and maybe some good news!*

boredofbeingathome

Snaggles wrote: »

Thanks Gemmzie/Bob/Sea/Zed/IDA.

Stu's salary is above minimum wage now, but in his last job it was only just barely (it's still not exactly a huge salary now - maybe about £18k including overtime). I'm not sure what my salary is going to be - I think full time is £25k roughly, so possibly about £11k based on 16 hours - but we are waaaay under the upper earnings limit for tax credits, so .

I'll just have to wait and see what the new award notice says, but if we don't qualify for any help with childcare costs, I will want to know exactly why!

I asked them about Ryan's DLA claim and they said he would have to be in receipt of DLA before they would increase the tax credits. But someone on the Aspergers Support thread said when they rang, they increased it anyway, in advance of them getting a decision on DLA. :mad:

I would hold fire on that and actually put it in writing as soon as you get the decision. You may qualify for a disability element depending on the award or you may have to fight DLA if they make a different award. We get middle rate DLA for our daughter and i think that's how most of our credits are awarded. I have been on the phone again today and followed up by letter just to make sure. Have you thought about carers allowance and working fewer hours? I don'tknow how it will affect you money wise, but i know that if he gets middle or higher rate you could claim carer's and work part time but there is a limit on earnings about £90 per week which with carers would be about £140 give or take, also i think then you would be able to claim child care vouchers but not sure. also if he gets higher rate there is a severe disablement allowance on the child care element. But it is so confusing.Have a look on the carers allowance website- It may be worth putting a claim in for that now as it will be back dated to the date when you apply, and you may get some if on maternity leave- who knows

Gemmzie

You only need lower rate care DLA for the CTC element

Snaggles

Spendless wrote: »

you *might* get a little help with childcare depending on how much your expenses were.

This is what upsets me more than anything - 'might', 'possibly', 'maybe'.....where are the clear guidelines?? I have looked all over the tax credits and HMRC websites today, and from reading those, we should be entitled to 'up to 80% of childcare costs, up to a maximum of £175 a week' or something. But we're not, and it doesn't tell me why anywhere (and what the hell does 'up to' mean anyway? Who gets 80%, and how?).

The infuriating thing is that I see peoples accounts all the time at work, and people who are earning much more than us are getting a much higher level of tax credits than us.

I would seriously be better off not working. Or just doing a couple of nights a week in a pub.

Spendless

As said disability will make a difference to your tax credit claim, you are also entitled to the baby element of tax credits (an addition £10 a week) till Natasha is 1.

boredofbeingathome

I get confused all the time- well done to anyone who can work it out. And good luck with it snaggles. Bobxx

Spendless

Snaggles- the key words are 'up to'. Once you hit around £25K it is the family element £10 a week you get and maybe help with childcare, but that's dependant on how much childcare you pay.
Though as said in previous posts, the figures will change, though I don't know what to if there is a disability in family.

Use www.entitledto.co.uk to have a play about with figures.

We've always been stuck with the same problem, which is why I've not worked.

immoral_angeluk

Snaggles wrote: »

This is what upsets me more than anything - 'might', 'possibly', 'maybe'.....where are the clear guidelines?? I have looked all over the tax credits and HMRC websites today, and from reading those, we should be entitled to 'up to 80% of childcare costs, up to a maximum of £175 a week' or something. But we're not, and it doesn't tell me why anywhere (and what the hell does 'up to' mean anyway? Who gets 80%, and how?).

The infuriating thing is that I see peoples accounts all the time at work, and people who are earning much more than us are getting a much higher level of tax credits than us.

I would seriously be better off not working. Or just doing a couple of nights a week in a pub.

As for the childcare.. someone at tax credits once told me that if you jointly earn less than 21k, you get the full 80% of childcare element... but as you earn more than that it drops accordingly....

I personally hate tax credits... the system is the biggest pile of !!!!!! that I've ever seen.... but we have no choice as we rely on them so much.

Spendless

Snaggles- if People on higher household income than you are getting more tax credits, then either they have more kids, disability in family,higher childcare bills, are paying a lot into a pension or are being paid incorrectly. They may be other scenarios I've not thought of.

ZTD

Snaggles wrote: »

This is what upsets me more than anything - 'might', 'possibly', 'maybe'.....where are the clear guidelines?? I have looked all over the tax credits and HMRC websites today, and from reading those, we should be entitled to 'up to 80% of childcare costs, up to a maximum of £175 a week' or something. But we're not, and it doesn't tell me why anywhere (and what the hell does 'up to' mean anyway? Who gets 80%, and how?).

The infuriating thing is that I see peoples accounts all the time at work, and people who are earning much more than us are getting a much higher level of tax credits than us.

I would seriously be better off not working. Or just doing a couple of nights a week in a pub.

The idea behind tax credits or any other benefit is to help in small ways with the maximum fanfare, and to rob blind in the most discrete way.

If you have children, it starts make more sense to not work. The lower your household income, and the more the children , then the more sense it makes.

Karmacat

Hi Snaggles

Just getting back on the website after a couple of long work days. Sorry to hear that you're getting tormented by the tax credits and disability people, I hope it gets sorted out in a reasonable time (I was going to type soon, and then thought, well thats silly, no way). Horrible that families are put through this, I *do* hope it gets sorted soon.