working nights and child care

RubyShoes

Yes, you can claim tax credits to help towards the cost of your childcare, if you and your partner are working over 16 hours. As others have said, whether these days of childcare correspond with your working days is totally up to you.

This isn't about morals... its about entitlement. And yes, you are entitled to make a claim to tax credits for help towards the cost of childcare.

What about people who don't work set days each week? For example, I am a midwife, and if I was single, I would have a low enough income to be eligable towards help with my childcare costs (I know this, as I did a tax credit calculation, LOL!). However, if I was working 3 days a week, I would still have to pay for 5 days childcare, as the NHS don't give a damn if you only have childcare on 'Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday' or whatever. They expect you to work what you are rota'd for. There fore you have to pay for FT childcare to ensure you can work the shifts.

I used to get help with my childcare costs when I was on a low income, and had to pay for FT childcare, but didn't always use it. I still paid for it when I didn't use it - most childcare providers work this way. But I kept my child off when I was on days off.

Thats just the way it is... I don't see anything wrong with it, what other way could you do it? There isn't another way. Anything else would be completely impractical and mess up peoples finances even further! TC's are complicated enough without adding anything extra on to it!

RubyShoes

SJaypink,

You can claim FT childcare costs even if you work PT. I guess its for people in the situations I described above. Otherwise shift workers wouldn't be able to work. It has to be that way. Plus people need extra hours for travelling to and from work. Its not as simple as, we pay you 16 hours childcare, as you work 16 hours... You need the hours you need, no way around that.

astonsmummy

sjaypink wrote: »

i dont think it is breaking the law? you can claim child care = to the amount of hours you work; doesnt have to be the exact same hours......
thought cctc paid direct to childcare so there is no chance for anyone to 'profit'?

think all this has now scared of the op anyhow which is a shame as she seemed genuinely unsure of the system and may have wanted more advice.........

It's not set to hours, you can claim childcare costs up to a cetain amount of pounds, i think it's about £175pw for one child.
In my previous job my son was in childcare monday to friday 8am to 3pm
some days i'd be finished at 11am, but as i was on a weekly rota and the work could change daily (community care assistant) it was easier to have him in childcare for that times and give my work availability from 8.15am to 2.30pm.

sjaypink

mitchaa wrote: »

She'll be breaking the law if she claims childcare and looks after the child herself. (I assume she will do seeing as she doesn't work all week:rolleyes: )

Its easy to register, take your child there 1 day in order to satisfy tax credits and then not go back again and profit all the childcare money.

Childcare is only supposed to cover 80% of the costs, meaning the 20% extra is covered by the parents own purse. Why would the O.P waste this 20% when she is at home all day and quite capable of looking after her own child? Doesn't make sense to me.

yeah thanx, i was referring to this post.

so back to the op (if she is still around!), she would not be breaking the law to claim childcare?

shame people are posting wrong info on here and the op's departing post was 'ok ill stop claiming then'........

mitchaa

sjaypink wrote: »

yeah thanx, i was referring to this post.

so back to the op (if she is still around!), she would not be breaking the law to claim childcare?

shame people are posting wrong info on here and the op's departing post was 'ok ill stop claiming then'........

No, i said it would be breaking the law if she was claiming childcare but was looking after the child herself.

Childcare payments are made direct to the parent through their tax credits, not to the childcare provider meaning a lot of people can abuse the system.

That is illegal.

sjaypink

mitchaa wrote: »

No, i said it would be breaking the law if she was claiming childcare but was looking after the child herself.

Childcare payments are made direct to the parent through their tax credits, not to the childcare provider meaning a lot of people can abuse the system.

That is illegal.

well i read it that the child was in care during the week and the op worked weekends; and so the question was is she eligible for help with the childcare costs even though the childcare is not taking place whilst she is at work?

caleo

Initially, I was shocked when I read the OP, because it had just never entered my head to have my children looked after by someone else and at the governments expense while I was not using the childcare to enable me to go to work.

Morally, I do not agree with this, and that was what I had originally stated, but if it is allowed, then it is a flaw in the system.

However, I have just been trying to work out my tax credit payments for this year. I work 3 days a week, and my children are in nursery 3 days a week. If I put them in for 4 days, it would actually only cost me £8 for that extra day, instead of £68.50!:j Hey, i could go to the gym, get all my shopping and housework done and everyone else can help me pay to look after my children! It would appear to me that this is how the system works??

BUT!! If you have a look on the HMRC website, and fill in the form "do I qualify", it actually asks you "Do you pay a childcare provider to care for this child while you work? "

I tried ticking NO, and then put my childcare costs in, and it totally ignored these costs. Tick YES, and it works out my CTC including my childcare costs. So by that token I would say that the CTC childcare element is there to help you to pay for childcare costs that enable you to WORK!

So maybe it is one to ask the HMRC.

DaisyFlower

Caleo is right, the site does ask the question "childcare costs while you work" - that is what the help was meant for - not to provide childcare whilst you are at home.

On the tax credits website is also mentions that you can face a penalty of £3000 if they check your childcare claim and its invalid.

I think the form needs amending and should cross reference the days/hours claimed with those worked allowing for drop off and collection time.

I wonder how much money is being abused if people believe they have the right to claim unlimited childcare even if they work the min 16 hours.

astonsmummy

Well that really is a bit unfair for night staff.
I will be doing a 10 hour shift meaning that by the end of it i would of been awake for over 24 hours, (unless i get a little nap beofre foing to work) then would have to stay awake until at least 7pm that day.
When the hell would i get to catch up on sleep

caleo

astonsmummy wrote: »

Well that really is a bit unfair for night staff.
I will be doing a 10 hour shift meaning that by the end of it i would of been awake for over 24 hours, (unless i get a little nap beofre foing to work) then would have to stay awake until at least 7pm that day.
When the hell would i get to catch up on sleep

I think the whole point is that you use the childcare to ENABLE you to work. If you work nights, then you need to have childcare in the day....possibly even both depending on your circumstances.

Also those working shifts, you are paying for childcare to enable you to work. So if your shifts change from week to week, then yes, you are paying your childcare in order to work.