Minimum Ages?

timharrison0662

Hello,

I was just wondering what the reasoning was behind minimum ages (25) for tax credits etc?

Surely as an Adult, i have the right to vote, marry, fight for the country yet I'm not entitled to the same benefits as others? One obvious answer would be that I havent paid into NI for long enough to recieve these benefits, but this is not entirely true as I have personally contributed the equivelant of the average incomes worth of allowances for a full 8 years now.



Thanks

dmg24

Hi timharrison0662,

If you read the stickies at the top of the board you will see that this board is for helping people get their benefit entitlement. Policy/ politics discussions are best for Discussion Time.

If you have any questions on your benefit entitlement, feel free to ask x

timharrison0662

Thank you for your quick reply. I have now edited my original post to remove my personal opinions of the system.

But surely, as a technical question relating to benefits for low earners, somebody on here must have a reasonable explination as to why you have to be 25 to be entitled to these?

dmg24

timharrison0662 wrote: »

Thank you for your quick reply. I have now edited my original post to remove my personal opinions of the system.

But surely, as a technical question relating to benefits for low earners, somebody on here must have a reasonable explination as to why you have to be 25 to be entitled to these?

The answer to that is: because the gvt decided to make it that way, just like they decide at what age you are entitled to Pension Credits, and at what ages you get a premium on IB etc.

Perhaps it is something you could ask your MP to look into for you?

The above answer demonstrates that this is a policy question, so not for the Benefits board.

timharrison0662

Maybe I can ask this question in the hope of me getting a helpful answer and understanding the situation with more than an 'because it is'



In what situations can a person under 25 claim working tax credits?

Thanks

dmg24

timharrison0662 wrote: »

Maybe I can ask this question in the hope of me getting a helpful answer and understanding the situation with more than an 'because it is'



In what situations can a person under 25 claim working tax credits?

Thanks

You can claim Working Tax Credit if you're aged 16 or over, and work for 16 hours or more a week (employed or self-employed) and one or more of the following apply:

• You are responsible for a child under 16 or young person aged 16 but under the age of 20 in full-time non advanced education at school or college, or who's doing approved training on a specified programme like Entry to Employment.
• You have a disability that puts you at a disadvantage in getting a job.
• You are aged 50 or over and are returning to work after a period on benefit.
• You are aged at least 25 and work 30 or more hours a week.

http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/taxcredits/wtc-keyinfo.htm#2