Applying for tax credits as a couple (one self employed)

Paddingtonelly

Hello,

So I've already got a claim for working tax credit (disability element) and child tax credit. My partner recently tried to claim and they sent a long form to fill out and to include all the evidence of his working hours/insurance/money coming in which was near impossible to fill.
We are moving in together at the end of the month, and will have to make a joint claim, because we have a baby together they say they only need 24 hours between us, one working at least 16 hours. I work 18, so do they really need all the evidence from him like before? As I'm scared I'm going to end up with no money coming in from being on maternity leave to even pay the rent!
Does anyone have experience of one person employed and the other self employed and the process?

Also will this also need to make a new claim for child benefit as her father and I will then be living together?

konark

A new claim for Child Benefit will NOT be needed.

I suppose they (Tax Credits) will need to check your partner works at least 6 hours a week, which shouldn't be too difficult.

Darksparkle

They may ask for evidence. They may not. It's impossible for them to check every claim but there is no way of knowing if they will check yours.

Does your partner earn at least NMW for the hours declared?

FBaby

The evidence they ask for is nothing additional to what any self-employed should be gathering anyway to make sure their business is viable. If they don't ask for this at the onset of the claim, they are likely to do so at some point, especially if the business isn't making any money. Is his business new? If so, he only has so long before he will be expecting to earn minimum wage from it.

Paddingtonelly

So he is currently working 17 hours and earning £290 a week, when we apply together then that'll be 35 hours between us. That's way above minimum wage, i was just thinking maybe it flags on their system when they're not earning minimum wage because he was trying to claim 30 hours before. His tax return came back with £1075 profit last year, I know it's not a lot but he's not making a loss!
Do you think it'll be ok?

pmlindyloo

Are you saying that he already has a claim in his name for working tax credits and he was claiming that he worked 30 hrs a week?

Paddingtonelly

He was working 30 hours before the baby was born, and has taken a cut in hours and now pay to help me when he's here. The claim never went through because he didn't have time to fill in their prove you're making a profit/hours/evidence forms. So has cancelled the claim, and will fill it in when we do a joint claim when we move in together.

Paddingtonelly

Say if we send the proof with the claim form, like invoices, letters, insurance letters and stuff. Would the claim go through quicker?

Darksparkle

Don't send anything with the claim form. The form is just scanned onto the system. It won't get looked at.