Am I 'on benefits'?

**LibertyGal72** · 02-06-2012, 03:16pm

Originally Posted by LibertyGal72

The only way my OH could/would consider leaving work was if we won the lottery or my salary jumped up. No matter how much the job's peeing me off, we've still got bills to pay. And we do not even have children to worry about.

I guess I can't get my head around the idea that unless there was another job lined up, why would you even consider chucking in your current one?

Originally Posted by myzzterri

yeah - I guess you aren't coming home from work virtually in tears every night tho... with a management team who know what the problem is but refuse to do anything about it....

On the contrary, I could have said that difficulties at work have resulted in tears at work as well as at home. With a management team who refuse to do anything about the problems. But I shan't as this isn't a thread about whether my experience at work is on a par with or better/worse than yours.

**jobey** · 02-06-2012, 05:00pm

Originally Posted by Pancake01

I'd say that if you work, you're not 'on benefits'.

Ditto.

**Dr Spouse** · 02-06-2012, 08:50pm

Originally Posted by Jeany

Your entitlement based on one of you working over 24 hours per week, one of you a student/not working would be.

Income Tax credits

5000 3235

10000 3235

15000 3235

20000 1540

25000 0

The table for the childcare element says you get something up to £30 or £35K (can't remember which).
The hopeful plan is that I work part time and Mr S works freelance - so he would count as working, and we'd need childcare for my working hours, from when he sets up his business, but he'll have v little coming in at the start (this tax year)
Plus I have to pay for my childcare place for 6 weeks I'm not working (it's the way the nursery allocates places). Fortunately I don't have to book a full time place while working part time, which I was afraid of.
Anyway Mr S is a champion form filler, so we'll have a bash at it.

**Dr Spouse** · 02-06-2012, 08:54pm

Originally Posted by Day_Dream_Believer

Dr S if you are likely to be above the 26k threshold any time in the relatively near future, and can possibly find a way to avoid entering the tax credits system, I would avoid it like the plague. They don't know what they are doing and they will ruin your life for years to come. I wish I had never heard of bloody tax credits, and am so so relieved to finally be free of them!

I will take this into account!
I'm assuming if we don't get any the first year, and don't renew, they will at least leave us alone!

**Mrs B** · 02-06-2012, 08:55pm

Originally Posted by Dr Spouse

The table for the childcare element says you get something up to £30 or £35K (can't remember which)..

Not so. Our joint income is less than 35k and we've never received a penny in the childcare element, even with both of us working over 16 hours a week.

**Peridot** · 02-06-2012, 09:35pm

We've never received tax credits so I may be making this up but could you be told your entitled to something dr.S because the threshold is higher if the child is under a year? I'm sure I've heard that before?

**RedTiger** · 02-06-2012, 10:01pm

Under the labour government there was an additional allowance for babies under 1 but the tories stopped that. I have no idea about how the childcare element works though, I'm lucky enough to not pay childcare so have never claimed that part.

**Dr Spouse** · 02-06-2012, 10:18pm

Right, thanks all for the info. Our income could be pretty low this year, depending however on tenants, so we'll have another good read of the website before deciding whether to apply.
V sorry for the hijack!

**Velvet Chain** · 03-06-2012, 09:51am

Dr S - go to entitledto.co.uk, there is a benefits calculator on there that you can put all your information into and it will tell you if you are entitled to anything WTC/CTC wise.

**Cerise** · 03-06-2012, 05:55pm

Or, on the HMRC website there is a worked example so you can work it out exactly yourself. I find it helpful to udnerstand it, rather than enter numbers in and trust that the calculation done behind the scenes is accurate.

**Franny** · 05-06-2012, 08:53pm

Peridot\Dr Spouse. They abolished the higher rate for those with a child under 1 this April, I think.

Terri, I think you would be entitled to a lot more if they took into account the £17K as a yearly salarly - about £600 per mth. Unfortunately, because they do it for arrears, it would be what you have also earned this year, which would be more and so you would have to wait a whole year to get the higher rate, if that makes sense.

Anyway, I sympathise. I think I work in a similar line of work and understand, perhaps, the element you have talked about. I have threatened to DH to jack it in loads of times but am kind of glad I haven't.