Tax credits and homeschooling

pinkmum3

Hello my daughter was homeschooled for year 10 and 11 because of severe anxiety. She is unable to attend college for the same reason. I had to tell HMRC this and my tax credits and child benefit for her are thankfully continuing as I couldn’t have coped financially if they’d stopped. HMRC seem to know very little about this situation and are no help. I know she has to be self educated for 12 hours a week but what proof is required? What checks are done, etc? What records need to be kept? Any advice from those who’ve gone before or anyone who knows would be gratefully appreciated.

calcotti

I'm not clear what you are asking. Tax Credits have nothing to do with schooling, they are paid to the responsible carer of a child.

See
https://www.gov.uk/home-education
https://www.gov.uk/home-schooling-information-council
https://www.home-education.org.uk/faq-carers.htm

Spoonie_Turtle

pinkmum3 wrote: »

Hello my daughter was homeschooled for year 10 and 11 because of severe anxiety. She is unable to attend college for the same reason. I had to tell HMRC this and my tax credits and child benefit for her are thankfully continuing as I couldn’t have coped financially if they’d stopped. HMRC seem to know very little about this situation and are no help. I know she has to be self educated for 12 hours a week but what proof is required? What checks are done, etc? What records need to be kept? Any advice from those who’ve gone before or anyone who knows would be gratefully appreciated.

HMRC would have no knowledge of how home education works because that's not their area :huh: If that's the purpose of your post, I don't know whether there's a more suitable area on the forum frequented by people who would know, but presumably any records or evidence would be for whichever authority approves and monitors home education (I have no idea if it's the same or different post-16).

pinkmum3

Tax credits stop if your child leaves full time education post 16...unless they’ve been homeschooled prior to leaving school as they can continue to get their education via homeschooling or online studies. I’m asking if anyone has advice/experience of this. Prior to leaving school there were home checks from the council, but this ceases once they are 16 because it’s no longer a legal obligation to make sure your child is receiving an education.

calcotti

pinkmum3 wrote: »

Tax credits stop if your child leaves full time education post 16...unless they’ve been homeschooled prior to leaving school as they can continue to get their education via homeschooling or online studies. I’m asking if anyone has advice/experience of this. Prior to leaving school there were home checks from the council, but this ceases once they are 16 because it’s no longer a legal obligation to make sure your child is receiving an education.

Understand now. Your opening post didn’t explain she is now 16. When did she turn 16?

System

Suggest you contact https://www.educationotherwise.org/ There is a help line, so should be someone there who can advise from experience.

pinkmum3

She just turned 16 in August

calcotti

pinkmum3 wrote: »

She just turned 16 in August

Which means that you ceased to be entitled to CTC on 31st August unless she meets the education requirements. Reason I asked was because if her birthday had been in September you would have remained entitled until 31st August 2020 regardless of education.

https://www.litrg.org.uk/tax-guides/tax-credits-and-benefits/tax-credits/can-i-claim-my-child-aged-16-or-over

calcotti

beenthere_donethat wrote: »

As long as her daughter is still being home educated for more than 12 hours per week, then she meets the requirements.

Edited to add: the bit in bold covers home Ed

They must be studying at a school or college, or elsewhere providing they were studying there prior to their 16th birthday and it is approved by HMRC.

I didn’t mean to imply that she didn’t meet the education requirements (I didn’t have an opinion on that). Just explaining why I had asked about the date of the birthday - had it been on 31st August or later there would have been no need to discuss the issue of education for another year.

The idea that the education has to be approved by HMRC takes us back to OP’s opening post. From what others have posted HMRC appear to have no knowledge of home schooling but don’t carry out any checks any way - however this is all outside my experience so I have no knowledge of this.