Third Child tax credit query

fed_up_and_stressed

bloolagoon wrote: »

But isn't that the case for those with 3 children above the limits now? no one knows what the future holds but if everyone engineers their income around benefits the country wouldn't survive.

My concern (not aimed at OP) is those who engineer whether to have more kids based on current or potential benefits entitlement may have a shock in future years !

bloolagoon

fed_up_and_stressed wrote: »

My concern (not aimed at OP) is those who engineer whether to have more kids based on current or potential benefits entitlement may have a shock in future years !

They can't have a shock, it's well documented and it's their choice.

One thing for sure is that it's going to end the argument in recent years that people are breeding for cash.

You should expect to see no difference in 3+ child households - if you do see a significant drop in 4/5/6/7/8 child families FROM that date then it proves people right.

SkyeKnight

bloolagoon wrote: »

They can't have a shock, it's well documented and it's their choice.

One thing for sure is that it's going to end the argument in recent years that people are breeding for cash.

You should expect to see no difference in 3+ child households - if you do see a significant drop in 4/5/6/7/8 child families FROM that date then it proves people right.

The problem is you may well see a big drop from responsible, well-paid parents who can afford 3 or 4 children and not from the irresponsible ones who can't afford them.

I know that I would never have more than 2 children with the current rules (despite being able to currently afford more than 2), and that's because I would be terrified in case our circumstances changed. You can't feed and clothe 4 children on what is supposed to be the bare minimum for 2 children!! The 18 years that a child is a child is too long to predict what's going to happen.

The only way anyone sensible will have more than 2 children is if they have 18 years worth of savings put away in the bank (kind of a small minority of people).

bloolagoon

SkyeKnight wrote: »

The problem is you may well see a big drop from responsible, well-paid parents who can afford 3 or 4 children and not from the irresponsible ones who can't afford them.

I know that I would never have more than 2 children with the current rules (despite being able to currently afford more than 2), and that's because I would be terrified in case our circumstances changed. You can't feed and clothe 4 children on what is supposed to be the bare minimum for 2 children!! The 18 years that a child is a child is too long to predict what's going to happen.

The only way anyone sensible will have more than 2 children is if they have 18 years worth of savings put away in the bank (kind of a small minority of people).

Quite I couldn't afford more and have never been entitled to tax credits. It wasn't the what if I need benefits it was that our earnings didn't cover it.

It evens up the playing field, though I honestly think I could stretch the benefits for two children to three children. But then again I learnt the hard way when we had to live on far less than the government state when we faced job loss.

clearingout

The three child thing is very worrying, particularly where families break up and a now single parent is suddenly having to pay childcare for all the children, feed and clothe them, put a roof over their heads. I note that there has been no corresponding commitment by the Government to ensure that all NRPs are appropriately supporting their children, something that they are failing at miserably at the current time. I seem to remember seeing a study that said women had been more likely to leave abusive relationship since the onset of Tax Credits. Presumably, this will now reverse, leaving women and their children in very, very vulnerable situations.

After my marriage breakdown, I know that only receiving support for 2 of them would have made it impossible for me to work where a nursery place per child was £50 a day = £750 a week. Tax Credits made all the difference and 7 years on, I am almost free of them. MOre amd more families are going to find themselves totally trapped - and it will be the already vulnerable who will bear the brunt of this. Really, really worrying.