Am I entitled to anything?

Proppo

Hi all,

I've gone onto entitled.to or whatever the website is and it says £0. But I was just wondering if the website is accurate. I earn £28,850 and my partner earns £24000. We have a 1 year old daughter and currently pay £824 a month in childcare.

I keep hearing about this married tax allowance where if your income is £43,000 and the partner is £11,000 or under you are entitled to claim tax credits or something. But obviously are we earn differently to that, but our income is less and we have a very substantial childcare fee. We currently are paying a mortgage for our own house also.

Just almost doesn't seem worthwhile my partner going to work when we pay over half of her salary to childcare.

Anyone know if it changes as they get older? It is what it is at the end of the day, just not sure if I'm missing out on something I should be claiming.

We obviously get the £80 "child support" every 4 weeks, but other than that I have no idea (never claimed JSA or anything). But if I can get help then great.

xylophone

£80 "child support"

Child Benefit?

https://www.gov.uk/marriage-allowance/how-it-works

https://www.gov.uk/find-free-early-education

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/thousands-of-parents-benefit-from-30-hours-free-childcare-early

jayII

Married tax allowance just means that one partner can transfer some of their unused tax allowance (if they earn under the £11,000 tax threshold) to their higher earning partner.

It is hard to afford childcare when children are very little, but it won't go on forever. You might be entitled to some free childcare hours when your daughter is 2, so things will start to get easier then.

Darksparkle

Your household income would need to be less than £41,000 (if childcare costs) to claim tax credits.

There won't be free childcare when your child is 2 based on the information provided but will be from 3 years old. It's currently 15hrs but there is talk of this increasing to 30.

Still seems worthwhile for your wife to work. You wouldn't get anymore benefits if she didn't.

missbiggles1

Proppo wrote: »

Hi all,

I've gone onto entitled.to or whatever the website is and it says £0. But I was just wondering if the website is accurate. I earn £28,850 and my partner earns £24000. We have a 1 year old daughter and currently pay £824 a month in childcare.

I keep hearing about this married tax allowance where if your income is £43,000 and the partner is £11,000 or under you are entitled to claim tax credits or something. But obviously are we earn differently to that, but our income is less and we have a very substantial childcare fee. We currently are paying a mortgage for our own house also.

Just almost doesn't seem worthwhile my partner going to work when we pay over half of her salary to childcare.

Anyone know if it changes as they get older? It is what it is at the end of the day, just not sure if I'm missing out on something I should be claiming.

We obviously get the £80 "child support" every 4 weeks, but other than that I have no idea (never claimed JSA or anything). But if I can get help then great.

£12k pa must be worth going to work for, it's almost as much as many people earn. Also, your wife will almost certainly reap the rewards of carrying on working in her future career.

Proppo

But she has to work 40 hours and be away frmo our daughter for a long time and is a retail manager so is away for most of christmas etc. Seem's a big sacrifice for £12k per year. Although I doubt we could survive purely on my wage.

[Deleted User]

Darksparkle wrote: »

Your household income would need to be less than £41,000 (if childcare costs) to claim tax credits.

There won't be free childcare when your child is 2 based on the information provided but will be from 3 years old. It's currently 15hrs but there is talk of this increasing to 30.

Still seems worthwhile for your wife to work. You wouldn't get anymore benefits if she didn't.

The plan to increase it to 30 hours appears to have been kicked into the long grass

GwylimT

Proppo wrote: »

But she has to work 40 hours and be away frmo our daughter for a long time and is a retail manager so is away for most of christmas etc. Seem's a big sacrifice for £12k per year. Although I doubt we could survive purely on my wage.

12K, how does that work when your wifes portion of childcare would be around £5K per year? Did you mean £824 per parent, rather than £824 as a monthly total?

Darksparkle

GwylimT wrote: »

12K, how does that work when your wifes portion of childcare would be around £5K per year? Did you mean £824 per parent, rather than £824 as a monthly total?

I don't know any families that would refer to it as wife's portion and husbands portion of childcare costs. It's easier to consider it on her income alone as she would likely be the SAHP (as she is the lower earner).

Darksparkle

Proppo wrote: »

But she has to work 40 hours and be away frmo our daughter for a long time.

Surely the same could be said for yourself?

Diary

Proppo wrote: »

But she has to work 40 hours and be away frmo our daughter for a long time and is a retail manager so is away for most of christmas etc. Seem's a big sacrifice for £12k per year. Although I doubt we could survive purely on my wage.

If you can't survive on your wage alone, how would you pay the mortgage if your girlfriend gives up work? Benefits will not replace her wage without child care costs. How did you think it would be when you planned for a baby? Did you have other free childcare in place that has fallen through maybe?